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.

Simple Chicken Salad (Keto)

I just whipped this stuff up for lunch today and it was super delicious.  I had a leftover chicken breast in the fridge from dinner a couple nights ago and I never thought of putting cream cheese in chicken salad until now!  It adds just the right amount of sweetness!  Enjoy!

4 oz shredded chicken breast
1 oz cream cheese
3 Tbs mayonnaise
1/2 oz celery
1/2 oz white onion
1/2 oz raw sliced almonds
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients. Serve in a lettuce wrap or eat it all by itself!

Makes 4 servings

Turkey Zucchini Lasagna (Keto)

Guys, this is my ALL time, GO TO, favorite recipe!  I am a lover of all pastas, or used to be before converting to a ketogenic way of eating.  Lasagna is one of my favorites and I could eat rocotta by the spoonful, for reals.  It is SOOOOO good y'all.  You'll want to make it over and over!  I meal prep this for myself and store it in the freezer in individual portions.  Then just pop it in the microwave when I need a quick lunch or make a non-keto dinner for the rest of the family.  

Seriously, SOO good.  You'll thank me later.  You're welcome.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey
3 medium zucchini, sliced longways, about 1/8 inch
1-15 oz can diced tomatoes
1-8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sage
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup baby spinach
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375° F.

In a large cast iron skillet, cook turkey over med-hi heat until browned.  In a medium sauce pan, add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and spices/herbs and bring to a soft boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, partially covered.  Combine with browned turkey. 

In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, beaten egg and spinach. 

Spray a 9x13 casserole with EVOO.  Add a layer of zucchini, then meat sauce, then cheese mixture.  Add two more layers and then top with shredded mozzarella. 

Bake for 30 minutes and serve warm!  Buen Provecho!

*Serves 10

Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)

It's hearty enough for fall and fresh enough for summer.  This Mexican flavor inspired soup is great any time of year!  I hope you all enjoy!

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground chuck (80/20)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 large egg
1/8 cup APF (sub almond flour for keto)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the broth:
1 Tbs EVOO
2 sweet mini peppers, chopped
1-14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
1 tsp adobo sauce
1 cup chopped baby spinach
Salt & pepper to taste

Saute the peppers in EVOO until soft and translucent.  Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, spices/herbs, adobo sauce and spinach.  Bring to a boil and drop in meatballs all at once. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 mins until meatballs are cooked through (inside temp 160 degrees F). S&P to taste, pull out your bay leaves (I always forget!) and serve with your choice of cheese, sour cream, avocado and/or cilantro!

Buen Provecho!

Chicken Spinach Alfredo with Zucchini Noodles

It's all about the carbs for me these days --or lack thereof-- so I am trying new things.  One of my latest obsessions is zucchini noodles, or "Zoodles".  To start, you'll need to get you a Veggetti.  It's my new favorite kitchen tool!  I'm telling you, it's pretty awesome.

I made this super simple Chicken Spinach Alfredo last night.  My sauce broke because I was in a hurry and experimenting but it still tasted good.  There are low carb alfredo sauces out there from what I hear, also.  I've just never tried any of them.

So to start, I marinated some boneless skinless chicken breasts in olive oil and lemon juice for about 30 minutes.  My single portion of this dish only used about half a breast.  I have written the recipe for 4 servings so you'll need two good sized breasts.  I seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled the chicken on our outside wood pellet grill.  Then I chopped it into bite sized pieces.

For the chicken:

• 2 6-8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast, marinated, grilled & chopped (Marinade: 2 Tbs lemon juice, 2 Tbs EVOO)

I heated my oil in a non stick pan over med-hi heat.  Then I spiralized my noodles right into the pan, seasoned and sauted until they were tender.

For the noodles:

• 3-4 medium zucchini
• 2 Tbs EVOO
• Salt & pepper

My sauce... Let's just say it still needs a little work.  The ingredients were spot on, but my technique was off.  Pretty sure I just had the heat too high and added the cream too fast and that's why it broke.  Oh well, it still tasted fabulous.  It's always an experiment around here!  Give it a try and let me know if yours comes out better.  You can find the recipe I followed loosely for the sauce here.  I also added about a 1/2 cup chopped baby spinach at the end.  Gotta get those leafy greens!

My ingredients for the sauce:

• 1 Tbs bacon fat (YUM)
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan & Asiago cheese
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chopped baby spinach

Then you just plate your noodles, add chicken and sauce on top of that and you're done!  Even easier if you use store bought sauce!

ENJOY!!!

Leftover Smoked Brisket Tex-Mex Chili

My husband loves his Traeger grill/smoker.  I have to be honest, I love it too.  I didn't love the price when he brought it home but I have loved everything that has come off of it since.  We're now on our second one and he also has a portable one for when we go camping.  We're not spoiled at all (insert sarcasm here).

So the other day, he smoked a brisket and it came out wonderful but just a bit tough for my liking. Temp and cooking time probably just need to be tweaked.  Slow and low is the key to tenderness. With only four of us, all accustomed to eating small portions, we had quite a bit of leftover brisket in the end.  Wasting food is one of my biggest pet peeves, so today I decided to play around with a new recipe to make use of it.

Plato said necessity is the mother of invention, so when I discovered I only had black beans in the pantry and no chili beans, I said Tex-Mex it is!  I was in kind of a rush so I didn't grab any photos of the process and the measurements are estimated of course, as always.  The slow, low simmer I did helped with the toughness of the brisket and also reduced the chili slowly so that the flavors were really intensified.  I hope you and your family enjoy this meal.  Mine sure did!  And it's low carb too!

Ingredients:

Approx 2 cups leftover brisket, sliced thin against the grain and cut into small pieces
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 white onion, diced
1 sweet mini pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced (I use a grater)
1/2 to 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, diced (they are pretty spicy, so I used 1/2 a pepper)
*TIP: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spoon the leftover peppers individually and flash freeze.  Put into a zip-top bag and keep in the freezer for 4-6 months.
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1-8 oz can tomato sauce
1-15.25 oz can black beans, with liquid
1 Tbs chili powder
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp ancho chili powder (optional)
2 cups of low sodium chicken broth

Heat oil in a dutch oven over med-hi heat.  Add onions and peppers and saute until soft and translucent.  Add chipotle and garlic and stir until fragrant.  Add tomatoes and tomato sauce and simmer for 3-4 minutes and then use a potato masher to break up the tomatoes a bit more.  Add black beans, spices, broth and brisket meat.  Remember to season with salt and pepper at each level and taste, taste, taste!  Cover and simmer on low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve hot and top with your choice of chopped green onions, shredded cheese, and/or sour cream.  Or if you're like my husband, extra chipotle pepper!

Spinach Artichoke Wontons

Spinach artichoke wontons:

6 oz bag of baby spinach
2 garlic cloves
I T finely diced onion
1 T butter
3 T water
Salt & pepper to taste
(You can also use frozen spinach as a shortcut)

1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts
6 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Wonton wrappers

Cook the first six ingredients down in a medium saucepan until wilted. Remove from heat and squeeze a much moisture out as you can in a paper towel.  Mix in the next 7 ingredients.

Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking oil and push the wontons down into each well.  Bake at 325 for 8 mins.  Scoop the spinach​ mixture into each wonton and bake for another 10 minutes.

They freeze well too!