Eggs w/ Salami Pizza "Toast" - Post Valentine's Day Brunch

This morning I made a very easy and delicious brunch. I had leftover Salami and Roasted Tomato & Cheese Pizza left from the other day. I reheated it on the stove in a skillet so the crust would re-crisp and I topped our pizza slices with a fried egg. I also made fresh strawberries dipped in 88% dark chocolate to serve with our breakfast. It was a delicious breakfast and the crispy slices of salty salami pizza made the perfect platform to serve fried eggs on. We could actually pick them up and eat them. This was sort of an "I'm sorry I couldn't make yesterday's Valentine's Day breakfast special" for you hubby but thanks for agreeing to take a rain check for next weekend. 

I had hoped to make something special for yesterday's brunch to celebrate Valentine's Day, but was not able to since I spent hours in the doctor's office (again). I have been sick for almost 5 weeks now and just can't seem to shake this. I won't lie, I feel extremely guilty that I couldn't just suck it up again yesterday to make Valentine's Day special but I had gotten significantly worse. So, we will plan to do something special next weekend instead. Until then, this morning's breakfast/brunch will do. I will definitely be making this combination of salami pizza topped with an egg again...it's so much tastier than the usual egg, sausage and toast. Enjoy!

    

Friday Night Low Carb Pizza - Salami, Roasted Tomato & Cheese

This evening I decided to make pizza for dinner since it always seems to taste better on Friday nights. I made my no-flax crust this evening which uses almond flour and ground chia seeds instead of ground flax in the dough. I originally created my no-flax pizza crust recipe after receiving requests from several followers that did not care for flax. Personally, I don't mind golden flax since it's much more mild tasting than regular brown flax. I like all of my numerous pizza crust recipes and have at least five or more different crust recipes. I have one that doesn't use any nut flour and only uses ground golden flax; one that uses almond flour and ground golden flax; one that uses almond flour and ground chia seeds and a deep dish crust version that uses almond flour, ground golden flax and coconut flour. I also have a cauliflower pizza crust recipe. 

Very soon after going low carb, I began working on making a decent low carb crust since I didn't care for a couple of the other recipes that I had tried. Pizza was one of the foods I didn't want to have to give up and it made all the difference in the world knowing that I could still enjoy a decent pizza on Friday nights with a crust that I could actually pick up and eat like a regular wheat crust pizza. I snapped a few photos of tonight's Salami, Roasted Tomato & Cheese pizza below. I topped it with Fiorucci uncured mini sliced salami that I picked up recently at Sam's Club as well as oven dried and roasted tomatoes (from Costco) and my favorite Bel Gioioso's fresh mozzarella cheese (also from Costco). It was simple to make and delicious. Below is a link to the no-flax crust recipe I used this evening. The only change I made was that I added 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese to the crust which made it even more delicious. Click here for the recipe ---> No-Flax Pizza Crust. Enjoy!

Topped with spicy uncured salami, roasted tomatoes packed in oil and mozzarella

I added 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese to the dough

Notice the bits of mozzarella cheese browned nicely

Topped with shredded mozzarella, spicy salami, roasted tomatoes and diced fresh mozzarella

Fresh out of the oven

     

Easy Chicken w/ Artichokes and Tomatoes - Low Carb

This evening I was tired when I got home. I'm still not feeling well and haven't really had much of an appetite. I wanted to make something simple and tasty for dinner. The only "flavors" that seem appealing to me now are salty, sweet or spicy because they actually taste like they are supposed to. I rambled through the fridge and found a package of boneless chicken thighs and pulled them out and grabbed the opened jar of artichoke hearts from the fridge. I also grabbed a jar of DelGrosso's Fireworks pasta sauce, a package of fresh mini San Marzano tomatoes, the fresh mozzarella cheese and shredded Parmigiano Reggiano. I decided I would make something simple and easy with those ingredients. 

I heated olive oil in my heavy cast iron dutch oven and seasoned the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper and browned them for about 5 to 7 minutes per side and then poured about half a jar of pasta sauce over the top of them. I sliced the tomatoes in half lengthwise and scattered them on top of the chicken and sauce and then added about 1 cup of artichoke hearts on top and seasoned with red pepper flakes, covered the pot and popped it into the oven to bake for 30 minutes. I pulled it out and topped it with the sliced fresh mozzarella and the Parmigiano Reggiano and placed it back in the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese was hot and bubbly. I topped it with fresh parsley and served it. It was unbelievably delicious. It was spicy and the chicken was fork tender. I had thought about serving it on a bed of zoodles but decided to keep it simple and eat it "as is" and I'm glad I did. It was wonderful and like a hearty Italian style stew. I snapped a few photos below as well as the easy peasy recipe. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken w/ Artichokes and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or boneless chicken breasts)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Half of a 26-ounce jar pasta sauce
1 cup halved fresh cherry or grape tomatoes (I used mini San Marzano tomatoes)
1 cup artichoke hearts
Pinch red pepper flakes
6 1/4-inch thick slices fresh mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)
1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (or Parmesan)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large oven safe dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Season chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Brown 5 to 7 minutes per side until light golden brown. Pour pasta sauce over top of chicken. Scatter tomatoes and artichoke hearts over top. Season with red pepper flakes. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano; bake an additional 10 minutes until hot and bubbly. Top with parsley and serve. 

Low Carb Chicken Enchilada Casserole - Even Better the Second Night

It was a very nasty, dark and rainy day here today with heavy downpours. We even had some thunder and lightning this morning as well. It stayed dark all day long, and then the sun finally popped out on my way home from work (just in time to go down again). 

Tonight's dinner was so quick and easy since we had leftover Chicken Enchilada Casserole from last night. It took less than 10 minutes to reheat and eat! I almost like it better the next day after it's had a chance to sit overnight. I loved that it was as quick as fast food to put on the table, but tasted like (and actually was) a delicious home cooked meal instead. It's the best of both worlds, especially for those of us that work all day long. I snapped a couple of quick photos below. The recipe can be found here: Chicken Enchilada Casserole. Enjoy!

        

Low Carb Chicken Enchilada Casserole - Guaranteed to Fool the Grain Eaters!

This evening my oldest son came for dinner and I made one of his favorites, my Chicken Enchilada Casserole. I swear you can't tell it's grain free at all whatsoever. I make my grain-free tortillas to fill with chicken and cheese and substitute cream cheese for the flour to thicken the sauce...it's nothing short of awesome! If you are looking for a recipe to feed your grain-eating friends and family...this is the one to make. I snapped a couple photos of this evening's casserole. I topped it with a few pickled jalapenos and pimentos after pulling it out of the oven for a little "heat and sweet" and also added some sauteed diced Poblano peppers inside the enchiladas. You can find the recipe here, along with some step by step photos, too: Chicken Enchilada Casserole. Enjoy!

Ready for the oven

BOOM!

One of today's Costco finds...100% Kona Coffee!

     

Chicken Stir-Fry - Low Carb "Take-in"

This evening youngest son came for dinner. I asked if he wanted to eat at home or eat out, and he said he wanted to eat at home. I made a huge Chicken Stir-Fry (using the wok he bought me for Christmas). It was filled with diced chicken breast, fresh broccoli, carrots, red bell pepper, green onions and seasoned with chili garlic sauce (for both garlic flavor and spice) and organic Tamari sauce. I use cashew butter and chicken stock to make a thickened stir-fry sauce. Hubby and son enjoyed theirs over jasmine rice and I enjoyed mine as is. I topped the stir-fry with roasted peanuts. I snapped a couple photos below. Who needs Chinese take-out when you can have Chinese take-in instead. Enjoy!

        

Low Carb Saturday Brunch - Pepper-Jack Eggs, No-Flip Pancakes & Sausage

This morning we slept in late. I am still battling whatever virus I've had for the last few weeks, so it was especially nice to get the extra sleep. Last night I actually had yogurt mixed with cranberry sauce for dinner because I just didn't have an appetite. But, this morning I was ready to eat something a bit more substantial so I made myself a big late brunch to last me until dinner time. 

I had one of my Strawberry Chocolate Chip No-Flip Pancakes left from last weekend that I reheated. I made Scrambled Pepper-Jack Eggs (made with Cabot Pepper-Jack Cheese) and Applegate's Chicken Maple Sausage Patties (nitrite/nitrate free and 1 carb each) to go with it. Sometimes I like to use Nature's Hollow Pancake Syrup on my pancakes but this morning I decided to make a simple warm "Butter Berry Sauce" instead. I sliced up 3 strawberries and rinsed a few tablespoons of fresh blueberries and then sauteed them in about 1 tablespoon of Kerrygold butter until tender (about 2 minutes). I simply poured it over the top of my pancake wedge and "Voila"...I had warm, naturally sweetened buttery berry sauce! It was awesome. I've also used cranberry sauce heated with butter before which is also delicious. I snapped a couple photos of my delicious low carb breakfast/brunch below. Enjoy!

            

    

Random Thursday Post - Ode to Cheese & NuttZo

This evening I ran a bunch of errands after work. I was assigned to pick up cupcakes for work tomorrow so we can celebrate some of the recent birthdays. I made several stops while running errands; one of them was to Sam's Club. While I belong to both Sam's and Costco, I prefer Costco and go there weekly and only occasionally pop into Sam's Club. 

Over the past year or so, I've noticed that Sam's has really expanded their imported cheese selections. I must admit, this evening I was quite impressed by their variety and the uniqueness of their selections. I found so many that I wanted to try and ended up picking up a few new unusual flavors. The first one that caught my eye was a beautiful red wax covered heart shaped chunk of English Wensleydale cheese with strawberries and cream. Then my eye went to another chunk of Irish cheddar cheese with blueberries. Oh no, then I saw some artisan Monterey jack cheese from Wisconsin with spinach and artichokes. Well, I stood there hemming and hawing, and couldn't decide which one to try...so I just grabbed all 3! LOL. 

I also noticed that they were now carrying some of my favorite uncured imported Italian meats by Fiorucci. I love their uncured pepperoni that I find at Sprouts. I picked up a double package of miniature Milano salami made with wine and some Abruzzese (a spicy dry Italian sausage). They are the perfect size to enjoy with cheese and crackers (grain-free crackers, of course)...or maybe put on pizza in place of pepperoni. I snapped a few photos of some of this evening's interesting finds below. I also included a picture of the "NuttZo" I picked up a few weeks ago at Costco. I haven't tried it yet, but it's probably appropriately named NuttZo because this little jar was almost $18.00! Suppose that's why they named it NuttZo? Well...once I try it, I'll let you know just how NuttZo it really is! Lastly, tell me if the cute little heart shaped cheese doesn't steal your heart too!  ;-)  Enjoy!

Be still my beating cheese heart...

Last, but not least...it's NuttZo!

Buffalo Chicken Balls - Easy & Delicious Low Carb

This evening I decided to make a quick and easy meal using the package of Perdue ground chicken breast I had in the fridge. I decided to make a version of Buffalo Chicken Balls, modeled after Buffalo Chicken Wings. They turned out great and were delicious. They'd be great for lunch or dinner or served as an appetizer. Traditionally, buffalo style chicken wings are served with celery and blue cheese dressing. I'll be honest, I am not a big fan of blue cheese and I don't care for blue cheese dressing whatsoever, but I wanted to get all the traditional flavors into these spicy little balls of deliciousness. So, I decided to add all the flavors into the chicken balls rather than serving the celery and blue cheese dressing along with them. 

Since we are basically making a meatball, I wanted to mix something into my chicken balls to act as a bit of a binder to help hold them together. I could have used almond flour or ground flax, but I wanted these babies to be tender and moist and not like solid little rocks. Since shredded cheese works so nicely in my meatloaves as a binder, I decided it would probably work just as well in my Buffalo Chicken Balls...and it did! I used shredded mozzarella as the binder because it doesn't really add flavor, it just acts as a bit of glue. For flavor, I added buffalo wing sauce (such as Frank's or Texas Pete's). I also added the crumbled blue cheese as well as the celery and onion cooked in butter to the meatballs. The butter added moistness to the lean ground chicken breast I used and helped keep them tender and they baked. The wing sauce added the "kick" you expect when eating buffalo wings (or in this case, buffalo balls). LOL I snapped a few photos below as well as included my easy peasy recipe. These little devils definitely have a spicy little kick to them but they are delicious. Feel free to increase or decrease the wing sauce depending on your desire for spiciness. These are not overly spicy but you definitely know its there. Rather than serve with blue cheese dressing, I served these with plain sour cream for dipping and to balance the spiciness. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Balls

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken (I used ground chicken breast)
2 tablespoons butter
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce, plus extra for drizzling on top (I used Texas Pete's)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish and set aside.

Place ground chicken in a large bowl. Heat butter in a small skillet; add celery and saute over medium heat until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add onions and saute an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer sauteed celery, onions and melted butter to the ground chicken mixture. Add mozzarella, blue cheese, salt, and wing sauce and mix just until combined. 

Roll chicken mixture into approximate 1-inch balls using wet hands, dampened with water, and place side by side in a baking dish with meatballs touching each other. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or light golden brown and done. If desired, drizzle with additional wing sauce when serving. 

*Note: Serve with blue cheese dressing or plain sour cream for dipping, if desired.

Slow Cooked Cola Braised Brisket - Low Carb Comfort Food

This evening we enjoyed a delicious comfort food meal of beef brisket and mashed cauliflower. A few days ago, I picked up a beautiful flat cut fresh beef brisket from Costco. I got a head start making it last night to have for tonight's dinner. I have always wanted to make a beef brisket with a cola marinade because I've read about how delicious they are. Some folks marinate their brisket in a Coca Cola based marinade and then smoke them. I wanted to make a slow cooker version so I placed the brisket in my slow cooker before going to bed last night and cooked it overnight on low. The brisket turned out delicious and tender and the cola and other seasonings gave it a unique flavor. To keep it sugar free and low carb, I used Zevia Cola (sweetened with stevia). It worked beautifully. The meat was fork tender but stayed in nice neat slices without falling apart when cut. I reduced the juices by cooking them down for about 30 minutes until it became a thick syrupy glaze type of sauce and then I seasoned it with salt and pepper after reducing. It was rich, thick and dark with a sweet caramelized flavor. Prepping the meal last night only took about 5 minutes to get the brisket put together and into the crock pot. I would definitely make it again. This evening, I prepared my Rich & Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash while reducing the sauce. The cauliflower mash was awesome paired with the brisket. I snapped a couple photos below. Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Cola Braised Brisket

Ingredients:

1 small onion, sliced
2-1/2 to 3 pound beef brisket (I used a flat cut style brisket)
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, or to taste
Couple dashes chipotle seasoning (I used McCormick's Chipotle & Roasted Garlic Seasoning), optional
12-ounces cola (I used Zevia Cola sweetened with stevia)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons no HFCS ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dried chopped onion

Directions:

Scatter sliced onion on the bottom of a 6 to 7-quart crock pot. Lay brisket on top. Season with smoked paprika and chipotle seasoning. In a bowl or 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine cola, mustard, ketchup, salt, Worcestershire and dried onion. Pour mixture over top of brisket. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Slice against grain and serve. 

*Note: If desired, transfer juices to a pan and bring to a boil on stove top and reduce to desired consistency to concentrate flavors; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

 

Strawberry Chocolate Chip No-Flip Buttermilk Pancakes - Low Carb

This morning we slept in a bit. Even though it began as a beautiful sunny day, it's slowly transitioning over to an overcast and rainy day. We're going to run out and pick up some groceries here in a bit and stay settled in at home the rest of the day. I made brunch late this morning. It has been a while since I made my No-Flip Buttermilk Pancakes, and I had some beautiful fresh strawberries and blueberries in the fridge, so I decided pancakes would be the perfect way to enjoy them. 

As I was slicing up the strawberries, I was thinking about how I used to enjoy chocolate chip pancakes as a kid that we would stop and eat at the Old Windmill Pancake House on our way to the beach every summer. It was a special treat to pull over before crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and have pancakes there. So, rather than make strawberry and blueberry pancakes this morning, I went with strawberry and chocolate chip! I tossed in a few tablespoons of 70% cacao chocolate chips along with the sliced strawberries. They turned out amazing and tasted like "chocolate covered strawberry" flavored pancakes. They would make a perfect Valentine's Day breakfast (hint, hint). I served them with the last of the little beef smokies that I had leftover from the holidays. If you haven't tried my no-flip pancakes yet, they are definitely worth trying. I love them. The great thing about making them is that I have enough left for several more days. I get 6 servings from this recipe (cut into wedges). I snapped a few photos below. You can find the recipe here: No-Flip Buttermilk Pancakes - Thick & Fluffy. Enjoy!

            

    

Onion & Herb Dip - Made with Chobani

Happy Saturday! Today I'm sharing an easy Onion & Herb Dip recipe. I was inspired by Chobani's #MadeByChobani Project to create a recipe using their plain yogurt. They've invited and challenged a select group of elite food bloggers to come up with some "healthy" recipes and I'm sharing my Superbowl dip recipe featuring their plain Greek 4% milkfat yogurt. 

Since I happen to love Greek yogurt as well as healthy eating, I said yes! I had hoped to post it earlier in the week, but I've been under the weather so I am posting it here today. In addition to using Chobani's whole milk (4% milkfat) Greek Yogurt, this dip contains items that are easy to find in your grocery store, most of which are probably already in your pantry. Feel free to tweak the recipe and add your favorite herbs and spices. I also enjoyed a bowl of plain Chobani Greek yogurt mixed with cinnamon and stevia for breakfast this morning. I was happy to be able to find their whole milk yogurt in my local Publix grocery store. Enjoy!  

#chobani  #deliciousbowl

#chobani  #deliciousbowl

Onion & Herb Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk Chobani Greek Yogurt (4% milkfat) 
1 tablespoon dried chopped onion
Dash garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon McCormick's Chipotle & Roasted Garlic Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 finely sliced green onion
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve with raw vegetables, grain-free chips or crackers, or use as a dip for meatballs.

Note: If desired, add 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed.

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