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!!!