Tex Mex Chicken Zucchini Lasagna

Inspired by my love for all Mexican food, this is a spin on my Turkey Zucchini Lasagna.  I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
6 oz shredded chicken breast
2 Tbs taco seasoning mix
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 oz white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
4 oz can diced green chiles, drained
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
6 oz queso fresco
2 oz shredded mozzarella
16 oz zucchini, sliced 1/8 inch thin, longways

First you will need to lay your sliced zucchini out on a clean kitchen towel and salt generously to pull the moisture out.  Let it sit until right before you start building your lasagna layers and then pat dry with paper towels or another clean kitchen towel.

Preheat oven to 350° F

Mix the shredded chicken and the taco seasoning in a small skillet with 1/4 cup water.  Heat through and stir until the water evaporates.

Heat EVOO in a medium sauce pan and saute the onion until soft.  Add tomatoes, chiles, tomato sauce, cilantro, cumin and salt & pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Combine with the chicken mixture and set aside.

Spray a 9X9 casserole with cooking spray. Layer zucchini, then the meat mixture and then crumble the queso fresco evenly.  Repeat with two more layers and then top with the mozzarella.  Sprinkle cilantro lightly over the top and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and broil on HI for 4 more minute to brown the cheese. 

Serves 6
Macros 11f/7nc/15p

Cheesy Tuna Zoodle Casserole (Keto)

Meal prepping has become part of my Keto journey and casseroles make it a bit easier. I've never been a fan of any type of fish, especially the stinky ones, but protein has become key to my diet for body composition reasons and tuna is chock full of it.  The only time I can remember ever liking tuna is when my mom would make us tuna tetrazzini when I was a kid.  I don't know if it was Tuna Helper or if she had her own recipe; I'll have to ask her sometime.  Either way, it was a special part of my childhood and brings back memories of less responsibilities and more freedom.  Winter is Coming here in Missouri, so comfort foods are a must.  So are less responsibilities and more freedom but I've got about another 8 years before my youngest is ready to fly the coop.  I'll take it where I can get it, I suppose. 

I put together this Cheesy Tuna Zoodle Casserole tonight and it looks and smells amazing.  It tastes almost exactly as I remember mom's tetrazzini.  It was a little time consuming, I'll admit.  There is a bit of prep involved so make sure your schedule is clear for the evening or a lazy Sunday and make sure you have some good cooking music.  :)

I was experimenting at first, so I didn't capture all the photos for this that I wanted to.  Boo.  Anywho, I started with draining the cans of tuna which proved to be a daunting task, if you'll believe that.  I have one of those stupid safety can openers that leaves the rim on the lid so you don't cut your arm off.  That makes for a difficult time draining, just so you know.  Stupid safety.  

I spiralized my zucchini into "zoodles" with an awesome little contraption I bought at Bed Bath and Beyond.  The Spiralizer gets put to good use in my house these days.  I even brought it on our trip to Virginia to visit my mother-in-law this summer.  Zucchini has a lot of water in it, so I suggest salting it with some Kosher salt, letting it sit for about 5 minutes in a colander, and then putting it in a kitchen towel and squeezing the ever living dead out of it.  Makes for a better consistency in your casserole.

I sauted the celery and onion in a Tbs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil until soft and translucent.

Then I mixed the drained tuna, alfredo, mayo and zoodles in a mixing bowl and chopped the spinach.

Next, I added my sauted celery and onions to the mix.

I used olive oil cooking spray on a 9x13 baking pan and spread the whole mixture out evenly.  I have to admit, it did not look very appetizing at this point.

I sprinkled the spinach (greeeeeensss) on top and then the cheese.  Cheese makes everything better.

 And then popped it in the oven at 375° F for 20 minutes.  Once the timer went off, I turned the broiler on high and let it go for another 4 minutes to brown the cheese.

It came out gorgeous!

Sitting here writing this at 11:00 at night, I realized after all this (I made another casserole before this) I had forgotten to eat dinner!  Ah, the perils of being fat adapted.  Forgetting to eat.  So I got me a plate and enjoyed the fruits (well, mostly vegetables) of my labor!

Hopefully you all enjoy this as much as I did!

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients

3-4 oz cans, tuna in water -drained

2 cups, zucchini "zoodles"
2 oz, celery-diced
2 oz, diced white onion-diced
1/2 c, four cheese alfredo sauce (I shop at Aldi)
2 tbsp, mayo

1 oz, baby spinach-chopped

1 cup, shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Drain tuna and place in a medium mixing bowl.  Spiralize zucchini, salt and squeeze as much moisture out as you can in a kitchen towel or cheesecloth.  Add alfredo, mayo and zucchini noodles to the tuna and mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Saute celery and onions in 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil and add to the tuna mixture.  Spread evenly in a greased 9x13 baking pan.  Cover with spinach and cheese and bake for 20 minutes.  Makes 6 servings.

Guacamole Mayo (Keto)

I just whipped up this AWESOME avocado mayo with some avocados I had on hand that were about to be overripe.  I love guacamole with Mexican spices and I love mayo so I thought, "Why not combine the two?"

And hence, Guacamole Mayo was born.  Just 1 net carb per serving!!!  I'ma put this sh*t on everything!!!

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados (about 10 oz)
1 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cilantro
1/4 cup EVOO

Blend everything but the EVOO in a food processor or blender. Begin to blend again while slowly drizzling in the EVOO.  2 Tbs per serving.  Makes about 7 servings.

And that's it!  Enjoy!!!

Sausage & Spinach Frittata (Keto)

I have been following a ketogenic diet, or as us Ketonians like to call it, way of eating, since April of this year.  I have lost 25 lbs and several inches/sizes, but most importantly, I have gained a self-confidence that I have never had my entire life.  It has really opened my eyes to a lot of things.  My knowledge of nutrition and metabolism is much greater and I have learned that a lot of the information I have been taught since I was young is completely wrong.  The Standard American Diet (SAD) is very unhealthy and it is a major cause of the majority of health epidemics Americans suffer from today.

I've learned a lot about myself as well.  I care less about what people think about me and more about my health and longevity.  I am more in tune with my body and health issues.  I know my trigger points and know how to avoid them.  Body composition is something I still don't fully understand but I am learning on my journey.  All that being said, Keto isn't for everyone, but I haven't met a person yet who hasn't at least gained some benefits from it.  It's anti-inflammatory, easy to stick to (for me at least), and -as with most diets- it compels people to really pay attention to what they are putting into their bodies and the nutrient composition of those things.

I hope you have been enjoying my keto recipes thus far.  My Turkey Zucchini Lasagna is BY FAR my favorite.  It's so flavorful and filling.  You'd never even know it was healthy!

Here's another one of my favorites that goes a long way and is also freezer friendly for you meal preppers out there!  It's great for breakfast or brunch or really any time of day!

Start with a 1/2 lb of ground pork sausage and get it all brown and deliciously cooked through.  I buy the rolls of breakfast sausage from the meat department, but you could always use plain ground pork and add your own spices.  I recommend ground fennel, ground sage, garlic and a bit of crushed red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you like it.  And of course, salt and pepper to taste.  I use a cast iron pan for most of my cooking.  It just makes food taste so much better and you can transfer it right from the stove top to the oven.  Plus it just makes me feel all pioneery.

I weigh everything I put into a recipe nowadays because it just makes it easier to calculate the nutritional value per serving for you guys.  It's a pain in the butt but you're welcome.  That being said, the amounts in my recipes will most likely be in ounces from here on out, so if you're following along, you might want to invest in a scale yourself.  They're inexpensive and sometimes come in handy for other things too.  This is the one I use.

OK, so now get to chopping your veggies.  The name of this recipe obviously doesn't include all of these, but that's only because Sausage, Spinach, Sweet Pepper, Jalapeno, Green Onion Frittata is a bit of a mouthful.  I'm saving you time, people.  Again, you're welcome.

Now it's time to whip up your eggs.  I cracked three whole eggs into a mixing bowl and then separated the yolks out of three more and just added the whites.  I discarded the yolks because I have 30-something chickens and we have so many eggs we don't know what to do with them.  I'm sure there's something I could do with them, but I can't think of anything that important to me.  Seems wasteful, I know.  One of my pet peeves.  Fine.  I'll figure something out.  Geez, get off my back. Anywho...now add the sour cream and whip the living dead out of those eggs until they're nice and frothy.  Makes 'em all nice and fluffy and yummy.  The sour cream adds a bit of tanginess.  I've been adding to my eggs since I stopped buying HWC.  I drink my coffee black now, and I can't use a whole carton of HWC before it goes bad to save my life.

Pour the egg mixture into the cast iron pan with the pork sausage evenly spread out.  Here's a tip: Don't over clean your cast iron pan like a weirdo.  Let it get a good seasoning on it so that it's natural non-stick abilities can shine.  Otherwise you'll be scraping this frittata off the bottom of it like me.  So, yeah.

Next, add the veg.  The secret here is to evenly distribute your veggies.  Nobody wants a to take a bite and get a mouthful of jalapenos.  Ok, I do, but I'm not normal.  So spread those veggies out people!  DO it!  And salt and pepper while you're at it!

Measure your cheese exactly to the ounce and spread it out evenly.  Whatever.  It's close.

Press the spinach down into the egg mixture with the flat side of your spatula and pop that baby in the oven at 400° F for 25 mins.

And THEN.... if you're lucky... no really just follow the recipe ...it will turn out gold and brown and gorgeous like this!!!

Slice it into 6 individual portions and get at it while it's still warm! 

Happy eating and Happy Ketoing!  

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground pork sausage
3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites, beaten
2 Tbs sour cream
1/2 oz baby spinach, chopped
1/2 oz mini sweet peppers, diced
1/2 oz green onion, green tops only, chopped
1/2 oz jalapeno pepper, diced
1 oz shredded Mozzarella
1 oz shredded Colby Jack

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Cook sausage in a large cast iron pan until brown.  Add sour cream to eggs and beat until frothy.  Add egg mixture to the pan, spreading the sausage out evenly.  Add veggies and cheese and distribute evenly.  Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.  Serve warm.

Serves 6

No Bean Chili (Keto)

• Ingredients:
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/3 cup, White Onion, diced
• 3 cloves, Fresh garlic, minced or grated
• 1 lb, Ground Beef
• 2 tbsp, Tomato Paste
• 1 cup, Baby Spinach, chopped
• 1 tsp, paprika
• 1 tsp., Ground Cumin Seed
• 1 tsp, oregano, dried
• 1 tsp, parsley, dried
• 1/2 tsp, Ground Mustard
• 2 tbsp, chili powder
• 14.5 fluid ounce, Diced Tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken broth (preferably home made)
• 2 pan fried slices, Thick Sliced Applewood Smoked Bacon, chopped

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot on med-hi heat until rippling.  Add diced onion and saute until tender.  Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Add ground beef and S&P to taste and cook until browned.  Add tomato paste and stir into the ground beef until fragrant.  Add spices and stir until combined.  Add diced tomatoes, spinach, broth and stir.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chili has reduced to your desired thickness.  Add bacon right at the very end and serve hot.  Makes 5 servings.
• 
  

Chicken Fried Zucchini (Keto)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, roasted, bones and skin removed, and shredded
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
½ cup frozen peas
1/4 cup  carrots, diced
2 eggs, scrambled
2 Tbs butter
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
16 oz zucchini, diced or spiralized
1 Tbsp evoo

Heat a large skillet to med-hi.  Add butter and sesame oil to pan and heat until rippling.  Add onion, carrots and peas and saute until onions are tender and translucent.  In a separate skillet, scramble eggs and garlic until fluffy.  Add eggs, chicken and soy sauce to the vegetable mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Saute zucchini in EVOO with S&P until tender.  Mix into the rest of ingredients and serve hot.  Serves 8.

Tex-Mex Chicken Zucchini Soup (Keto)

Ingredients:

16 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 cups Albondigas Broth

2 cups chicken broth

8 ounces zucchini, diced

Add all ingredients to a medium pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until zucchini is tender.  Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.