Easy Main Dish Salads w/ Chipotle Grilled Chicken

This evening we had big salads for dinner topped with chipotle seasoned grilled chicken cutlets. I whisked together my favorite Cranberry Chipotle Vinaigrette to top my salad with. It is one of my most favorite salad dressings. It consists of avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, a pinch of sea salt, McCormick's Chipotle & Roasted Garlic Seasoning and a dollop of my sugar free cranberry sauce. It's a delicious combination of flavors with a bit of sweet, tart, and spicy along with the smooth avocado oil. Hubby and I are getting ready to bundle up now and take a walk in the fresh air under the stars since it finally stopped raining. Enjoy!

BOOM!

    

Easy Chicken Piccata with "Pasta" in Light Alfredo Sauce

This evening I made a super quick and easy Chicken Piccata and served it over Zoodle Pasta with Light Alfredo Sauce. It took less than 30 minutes to prepare.

I used my Paderno spiral vegetable slicer to transform 4 small zucchini into "noodles" (zoodles). I have the original tri-blade version and they also have a new 4-blade version now. It took less than 5 minutes from start to finish. I really LOVE this contraption! I lightly salted the zoodles and spread them out on paper towels to wick out the excess liquid while I prepared the chicken.

I lightly seasoned a little over a pound of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and then sauteed them in olive oil over medium high heat for a couple of minutes per side. I placed the cooked cutlets on a baking sheet and placed them in a 325 degree oven to keep warm while I prepared the easy piccata sauce. I melted about 3 tablespoons of Kerrygold's Garlic & Herb Butter, in the same pan I cooked the cutlets in, over medium heat until it just began to sizzle. I squeezed in the juice of half of a lemon and added the zest of half of a lemon (about 1 teaspoon) into the sizzling butter and stirred it, scraping the browned bits of chicken from the bottom of the pan. I added about 2 tablespoons capers and then returned the chicken cutlets to the pan and spooned the lemony garlic herb butter and capers on top of the chicken and then covered the pan and set it aside to keep warm while I lightly cooked the zoodles.

I heated about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet and sauteed the zoodles for a couple of minutes, tossing frequently, until they just began to soften a bit. I added a couple heaping tablespoonfuls of sun-dried tomato pesto to the zoodles and then several heaping tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan cheese and a few splashes of heavy cream and tossed well to make a light sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce. I served the chicken piccata over the zoodles and spooned the sauce over top. It turned out delicious and was so quick and easy to make. If you've never tried Kerrygold's Garlic & Herb Butter before, it's worth giving it a try if your store carries it. If you can't find it, you can simply saute some minced garlic in plain butter and add a couple teaspoons of minced parsley to make your own equivalent. I snapped a quick photo of this super flavorful and easy meal for you to see below. Enjoy!

        

Sandwich Monday - Low Carb & Grain Free

It was an extremely nasty day here today. It was dark, foggy, raining, and cold all day long. It was really great to have a nice hot bowl of my slow cooker Spicy Beef & Cabbage Soup for lunch today. 

When I got home this evening, I just wasn't in the mood to cook for some reason. Well...to be perfectly honest, I actually thought about making chicken cutlets with lemon, butter and capers. Well, until I spotted the plate of my Sesame Seed Sandwich Rolls sitting on the counter. I enjoyed last night's soup and sandwich dinner so much that I decided to have a turkey sandwich for dinner instead. After all, I already had everything needed to make them...the tomatoes were already sliced and my romaine was already washed and waiting for me. LOL Just so I wouldn't feel totally lazy and useless tonight, I decided to incorporate just a touch of the flavors from the chicken cutlet meal that I originally envisioned for a hot second. 

So, I simply mixed a couple tablespoons of olive oil mayonnaise with some freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon) and then stirred in about 1 tablespoon of capers to make a "Lemon-Caper Mayo" topping to put on my turkey sandwich. It turned out great and added a bit of pizzazz to my turkey sandwich. I snapped a few photos below. If you haven't tried my Sesame Seed Sandwich Rolls yet...try them. I swear you will never again miss sandwiches or burgers with buns. Enjoy!

             

Sunday's Soup & Sandwich Dinner - The Perfect Cold Weather Combination

Today was a damp, chilly cold day here. Our temps didn't make it out of the 30s. Hubby went for a long walk early this afternoon. Even though we bundled up, the wind was still brutally cold. Late last night (around midnight), I started a batch of my Spicy Beef & Cabbage Soup in the crock pot to cook overnight so it would be ready for us to enjoy today. My older son came for dinner this evening. He is gluten free (not completely grain free) so I made a batch of my Sesame Seed Sandwich Rolls so we could have soup and sandwiches for dinner. I picked up some Boars Head turkey breast and Muenster cheese for the sandwiches, along with some fresh romaine lettuce and tomatoes. It was the perfect meal for this blustery day. We all enjoyed it tremendously. Sometimes it is the simplest of things that we enjoy the most it seems. I snapped a couple photos of our easy peasy Sunday dinner below. Enjoy!

      

Sunday's Easy Low Carb Breakfast

This morning we slept in a bit again. It's dark and overcast and we are supposed to have rain almost all week long. The only thing worse than rainy weather is COLD rainy weather! For breakfast I decided to take advantage of some of the leftovers I had in the fridge. I fried an organic egg in a bit of coconut oil and then reheated one of the grilled chipotle thighs left from last night's dinner and served them with a couple of small pieces of my Irish Soda Bread. It was quick and easy and will last me until dinner time! Breakfast is a great way to use up some of your dinner leftovers, too. I snapped a couple photos below. Enjoy!

It's all about the food

      

Italian Style Veggie Bake - Simple & Fresh Low Carb

This evening, youngest son came for dinner. Since our temps made it up to a "balmy" 47 degrees today, I decided to have hubby grill up some boneless skinless chicken thighs and chicken breast cutlets. I simply spritzed them with a bit of olive oil and then seasoned with McCormick's Chipotle & Roasted Garlic Seasoning before hubby grilled them. They cook super quickly which is good since the outside temperature dropped quickly as soon as the sun began going down.

While hubby was grilling the chicken, I cut up some beautiful small young zucchini and yellow summer squash I picked up at the store today. They were about 6 inches long and only about 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter. I sliced about 1 cup of fresh mini San Marzano tomatoes, diced a bit of onion and minced some garlic to cook with them. I originally had planned to just saute the veggies and serve them that way but decided to make an Italian Style Veggie Bake with them instead. I snapped a few photos as well as included my easy peasy recipe. Enjoy!

Italian Style Veggie Bake

Ingredients:

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 small zucchini, sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
4 small yellow summer squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 cup sliced or diced fresh mini or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (or Parmesan)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish and set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, saute onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent and beginning to turn golden and caramelize. Add minced garlic and saute another minute. Add zucchini and yellow squash; cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until tender-crisp. Uncover and cook until most of the juices cook off. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 cup of finely grated Parmesan. 

Spread half of the cooked vegetable mixture in bottom of prepared casserole dish. Layer with fresh mozzarella and torn basil. Top with remaining half of cooked vegetables and scatter shredded Parmigiano Reggiano on top. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. If desired, run under broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until golden. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes for cheeses to set. 

*Note: To control amount of juices on plate, serve with a slotted spoon, then spoon on sauce as desired.

      

Late Saturday Brunch - Eggs, Sausage & Soda Bread

This morning we enjoyed sleeping in late for a change. Although it's bright and sunny outside, it's quite chilly and only up to about 36 degrees here in the early afternoon. We had a simple breakfast of eggs and sausage that I served alongside some of my sliced oven toasted Irish Soda Bread. It was delicious alongside a cup of coffee. I snapped a quick photo below. Enjoy! 

         

Simple Slow Cooker Pot Roast - Easy Low Carb

This evening we had the easiest Slow Cooker Pot Roast for dinner. I had intended to place a small 2-pound boneless chuck roast in my crock pot before going to work today...but got in a hurry and forgot to. So, rather than cook it all day long on low, I placed the roast in my crock pot at lunch time and cooked it for about 5 hours on high instead. 

I sliced a couple of carrots and half of a small onion and placed them in the bottom of my crock pot. I placed the roast on top of the carrots and onions, seasoned with salt and pepper, then topped the roast with about 1 cup of leftover pasta sauce (Del Grosso's Fireworks sauce) that I had leftover in the fridge. I added a bit of torn fresh flat leaf parsley and then covered it cooked on high for about 5 hours until I got home. It was cooked to perfection and the pasta sauce kept it very moist. I served the pot roast with the carrots and fresh brussels sprouts that I lightly steamed first, then browned in butter with some sliced hickory smoked mini beef sausages. It was a very simple meal to put together and perfect for this very cold winter night. I snapped a couple photos below. Enjoy!

Ready to begin slow cooking

"Not-chos" - Low Carb Nachos Without the Chips

This evening I used up the last of Sunday's Mexican Style Meatloaf. As I was driving home from work, I pondered what to do with it. Suddenly, I envisioned a big plate of nachos! LOL So that's exactly what I made. But these weren't just any nachos...they were "Not-chos" as in nachos without chips! While that might be stretching it a bit, nonetheless it was delicious and so quick and easy to make and an outsandingly perfect way to enjoy the leftover meatloaf. It would be a great way to use up leftover taco meat, too!

Here's how they went down...or piled up, depending on how you look at it. I first chopped up the remainder of the meatloaf and browned it in a touch of oil in a nonstick skillet. It browned up nicely since it had shredded pepper-jack cheese in it. While the meatloaf browned, I thinly sliced up a small head of romaine lettuce and placed it as my "nacho base" on the plate. I sliced green onions, baby Roma tomatoes and avocado. I piled the browned chunks of meat on top of the shredded romaine, topped it with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, avocados, spoonfuls of fresh salsa, and then piled on the tomatoes, green onions, sliced jalapenos, and sour cream. These were "Not-chos" you ate with a fork...and a smile! LOL I snapped a quick photo for you to see below. Enjoy!

      

Super Quick Superfood Salad w/ Chipotle Seasoned Chicken

This evening I wanted to have something super quick and easy to make for dinner. I rambled around in the fridge and pulled out a package of chicken cutlets, a bag of "Eat Smart's 7 Superfood Salad Mix" and a bowl of my cranberry sauce. I decided to make us big salads topped with sauteed chicken cutlets that I seasoned with McCormick's Chipotle & Roasted Garlic Seasoning. I love preparing chicken cutlets on weeknights because they take less than 10 minutes to cook. I lightly seasoned them and sauteed for 4 to 5 minutes per side in a bit of olive oil. While they cooked, I piled the salad mix on our plates and whisked together a quick Cranberry Chipotle Vinaigrette (cranberry sauce, apple cider vinegar, avocado oil and the chipotle seasoning) for my salad. Hubby uses the poppyseed salad dressing that comes with the salad mix. I cut the seasoned chicken up into bite sized pieces and placed it on top of our salads. I have enough left for lunch tomorrow, too, which is always a good thing. In about 15 minutes, we were sitting down to dinner. I snapped a quick photo below for you to see. Enjoy!  

    

Mexican Style Meatloaf - Easy Low Carb

This evening I made my Mexican Style Meatloaf for dinner since my younger son, who doesn't care for beef, wasn't eating with us. My older son who likes beef was eating with us and we haven't had it for a while. We had torrential rain and wind last night and I was up most of the night, so I felt like I needed a little comfort food. Meatloaf is definitely comfort food. 

One of the dilemmas I had early on in my low carb journey was what to use in place of bread crumbs in my meatloaf. I tried a variety of things like ground flax, almond flour, etc. Then one day I decided to see if I might be able to get the same or similar results using shredded cheese instead of breading. Well...it didn't only give me similar results...it gave me AMAZING results! I have made Mexican style meatloaf for many, many years and used to use taco seasoning. Even though I have a delicious taco seasoning mix, I decided to simplify this meatloaf even further. It uses just a few spices, fresh salsa and shredded pepper-jack cheese. How easy is that? The fresh salsa serves two purposes; it adds moisture to keep it moist as well as contains onions and peppers so I don't have to chop those up separately to add. The cheese not only adds flavor and a spicy little kick, but it serves as the binder to help keep the loaf together. I can literally mix it together in the time that it takes my oven to preheat. I made roasted asparagus to go along with my meatloaf (tossed in olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper). For the "guys" who aren't low carb, I made mashed red potatoes and steamed peas to add to their plates. The meatloaf turned out delicious and flavorful as usual and I had plenty of food leftover so I could send my son home with a couple more meals, too! For dessert, I had a few fresh strawberries that I picked up at the store this afternoon. They were unusually beautiful (from Florida). My easy peasy meatloaf recipe is below as well as a few photos. Enjoy!

Before baking

The few ingredients that go into the meatloaf (along with cheese)

Drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper...ready to be roasted

Dessert

Mexican Style Meatloaf - Low Carb

Ingredients:

2-1/2 pounds ground beef (I used ground sirloin)

1 cup fresh salsa (found in the refrigerated section)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Black pepper, to taste

3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

3/4 teaspoon roasted ground cumin

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, or to taste

1 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese (I used Cabot)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer to a 2-1/2 to 3 quart baking dish. Bake for approximately 1 hour 10 minutes or until done. Let meatloaf sit for about 10 minutes for cheese to set. Slice and serve.

      

Seared Salmon & Warm Slaw - Easy Low Carb

Today was an extremely dark and nasty rainy day. We had planned to run errands this afternoon but we just couldn't get ourselves motivated enough to go out into the nasty weather so we just stayed home all day. I had originally planned to pick something up to prepare for dinner while we were out...but since we never made it out of the house, I had to use what we had on hand (and what wasn't frozen). 

I still had a couple pieces of salmon in the fridge that I didn't cook last night, so I decided to go ahead and fix salmon again (I never seem to get tired of eating salmon). I lightly seasoned it with salt and pepper and then set it aside. I had half of a head of green cabbage and part of a small head of red cabbage in the fridge. I enjoyed last night's meal so much that I decided to make something similar. I sliced and sauteed the green and red cabbage along with some sliced onion in my wok in a bit of olive oil and then covered it so it would lightly steam while it cooked. After it was tender-crisp, I seasoned it with a bit of sea salt, a couple teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and a sliced green onion and tossed it around a bit before transferring the hot slaw to a bowl. I added a little more oil to the wok and then cooked the salmon over medium high heat (covered) about 3 minutes on each side. Covering the wok helps it steam and sear at the same time and also helps it cook more quickly. I placed the salmon on a bed of warm "slaw." I snapped a couple photos below. Enjoy!

    

Quick & Easy Salmon Stir-Fry - Easy "One-Pot" Low Carb

This evening my youngest son came for dinner. One of his favorite things to eat is salmon, so I decided to make something a little different using it. I wanted to use the non-stick ceramic coated wok he got me for Christmas so he could see it in action...LOL. I've never made salmon in a wok before, but it surely won't be the last time because it turned out fabulous cooked in it! I served the salmon fillets on a bed of colorful stir-fried veggies, also cooked in the wok. I was able to cook the entire meal in one pot. 

I first cooked the salmon by heating a little coconut oil in the wok over medium high heat and then placed the salmon fillets in the wok, covered them and cooked for about 5 minutes. I flipped then over, added a couple tablespoons of sliced green onions, a few splashes of organic Tamari sauce and covered and cooked the other side for another 5 minutes or so, until done. I slid the fillets out into a shallow bowl and covered them to keep warm. 

I added a touch more coconut oil to the wok and then tossed in about 1 cup of thinly sliced red cabbage, 1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper, 1 small thinly julienned carrot and stir-fried them until crisp tender. While the veggies were cooking, I steamed some small fresh broccoli florets for a couple minutes in the microwave just until they were bright green and added them to the wok with the other veggies. I added a few more splashes of Tamari sauce, sprinkled in a pinch or two of sesame seeds and some thinly sliced green onion tops and stir-fried the for another minute or two. I placed a bed of the colorful stir-fried veggie medley on the plates and topped it with the salmon fillets. It was amazingly good and so fresh and flavorful. I snapped a quick photo for you to see below. Enjoy!

Spike spent his day snuggled in a pile of blankets most of this dreary cold and rainy day

    

Quick Beef & Cabbage Stir-Fry - Easy Low Carb

This evening I wanted to make something quick and easy for dinner. I thought about making soup because I was in the mood for cabbage and I absolutely love cabbage in soup. Instead, I decided to try out my new ceramic wok that I received as a Christmas gift from one of my sons. I really like it because, unlike my stainless steel wok, this one is a nonstick ceramic coated wok and it's nice and deep. It also comes with a glass lid which I really like. 

I sent hubby out to pick up some beef for my stir-fry. He picked up thin sliced top round beef that I cut into strips. This meal was so quick and easy and only used 6 ingredients (not counting the oil I stir-fried it with). It consisted of cabbage, beef, scallions, shredded carrot, organic Tamari sauce and a touch of chili garlic sauce for heat and flavor. It turned out good and we enjoyed it. It only took about 15 minutes to cook from start to finish. I sliced up my own cabbage and beef, but to save time you could easily use bagged fresh coleslaw mix instead and purchase beef that's already cut up for stir-fry.

I snapped a few photos below and included the easy peasy recipe. Enjoy!

Quick Beef & Cabbage Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil (I used coconut oil)
1 pound top round beef or sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
2 scallions, sliced
4 cups thinly sliced or shredded cabbage
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon organic Tamari sauce, or to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir fry just until browned, about 5 minutes; stir in scallions. Transfer beef to a bowl. Add cabbage to wok and stir fry until crisp tender or desired tenderness. Cover to steam lightly and hasten cooking. When cabbage is desired doneness, return beef to wok and add carrots, chili garlic sauce, and Tamari. Taste for seasoning.

*Note: If you've never used chili garlic sauce before, use it sparingly because it is quite spicy. It's typically found in the Asian section of your supermarket.

      

Spicy Pimento Cheese Ball - Happy New Year's Eve!

This afternoon I decided to make a cheese ball and crackers to enjoy later this evening as we count down to 2015. I'm going to go and pick up some fresh Boars Head deli and cheese and make some simple meat and cheese roll ups and put out some nuts, fruits and grain free chocolate chip cookies to snack on later this evening rather than have a full meal for dinner. 

One of hubby's favorite things to eat is Pimento Cheese (it's a southern thing) which consists of cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos and some other seasonings. It's usually a gloppy type of spread that you spread on crackers (or in his case makes sandwiches with). He was born and raised in Georgia, so it's something he has eaten all of his life. I decided that I would make a Spicy Pimento Cheese Ball to enjoy on my Chipotle Cheddar Crackers. That way he gets to enjoy the flavor of Pimento Cheese (in a spiced up way) and I don't have to endure the mayonnaisy gloppiness (how is that for a non-southern description). Both the cheese ball and crackers are VERY simple to make. I just added and tasted as I went along for the cheese ball. I snapped a few photos below as well as included the easy recipe for my Spicy Pimento Cheese Ball. Enjoy!

Spicy Pimento Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

1 8-ounce package brick-style cream cheese, softened
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
4 ounces shredded Monterey Pepper-Jack cheese (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
2 to 3 tablespoons diced pimentos
1 cup chopped pecans
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley, optional

Directions:

Combine softened cream cheese, cheddar cheese, pepper-jack cheese, Worcestershire, lemon juice, sriracha, chives and pimentos together in a large bowl until evenly combined. Line a separate medium sized bowl with plastic wrap, overlapping over the edges. Scoop cheese mixture into lined bowl, gently pressing with a rubber spatula into a ball shape. Bring edges of plastic wrap over the top of the cheese ball. Press wrapped cheese into a ball shape and refrigerate in bowl for several hours to overnight until firm. When firm, unwrap and roll into chopped pecans and/or parsley. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables.

*Note: Increase pimentos, if desired.