Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes & Burrata

 I can almost remember the first time I tried a Caprese Salad. It was in Italy, of course, and I believe it was like one of the first trips to Italy in high school. I fell in love immediately. 

This time of year, this type of salad is on my mind a lot. With fresh tomatoes becoming available, it's a go to salad for me. 

This one I switched up a little. I'm not a fan of arugula so I used spinach instead. Really good swap in my opinion. 

Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes & Burrata

Photo from EatingWell

Recipe from EatingWell.com
Serves 6

2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
2 c baby arugula
4 c sliced heirloom tomatoes
4 ounces burrata, sliced
½ c basil chiffonade (see Tip)
¼ tsp flaky sea salt

Whisk oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss arugula with 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette in a small bowl.

Place the dressed arugula on a platter. Decoratively arrange sliced tomatoes and burrata over the arugula. Sprinkle with basil and flaky salt.

Starbucks Copycat Banana Nut Bread

 Starbucks banana bread is the bomb to me. In a pinch when I don't have fresh banana bread - which is most of the time - Starbuck's bread does just fine. 

I stumbled onto this recipe and thought I'd give it a try. 

I didn't have any nuts, so it's nut free. And I gotta say...it's delicious and very good!

Starbucks Copycat Banana Nut Bread
Recipe from Butteryourbiscuit.com

2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 1/8 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 T buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
3 extra ripe bananas
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, spray a 8x5 loaf pan with non stick spray and line it with parchment paper if desired.

In a medium bowl add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and whisk just until combined.

In another medium bowl add egg, sugar and oil and whisk until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well, the mixture will be thick and dry.

Add in the buttermilk, vanilla and smashed bananas and mix until combined.

Pour into a loaf pan, sprinkle walnuts over the top.

Bake on the center oven rack for 60-75 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Hoisin Skirt Steak with Cauliflower

The hoisin glaze for the steak is delicious. It was super flavorful with a little spicy finish! 

I didn't follow the recipe for the cauliflower. Well, not completely. I cut the cauliflower into steaks (meaning cutting an inch  thick slice). I put olive oil on them and salt and pepper and put them on the grill.  

Hoisin Skirt Steak with Cauliflower
Recipe from Food Network

Photo from FoodNetwork

Serves 4

1/4 c hoisin sauce
2 T ketchup
1 T rice vinegar
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp honey
2 tsp sambal oelek or other chili-garlic sauce
1 1/4 pounds skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed and cut into small florets
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, trimmed, caps halved
2 T plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus more for the grill
1 bunch scallions (1 thinly sliced, the rest cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)

Preheat a grill to medium high. Combine the hoisin sauce, ketchup, vinegar, ginger, honey and sambal oelek in a small bowl. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Brush about half of the hoisin sauce mixture all over the steak.

Put the cauliflower and 1 tablespoon water in a large microwave-safe bowl, cover and microwave until the cauliflower is crisp-tender, 5 minutes. Blot dry. Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms with the vegetable oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt; spread out in a grill basket.

Oil the grill grates. Grill the steaks until well marked, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare, brushing with the remaining hoisin sauce mixture during the last minute of cooking. Transfer to a cutting board to rest. Meanwhile, grill the vegetables, tossing occasionally, until browned around the edges and crisp-tender, about 8 minutes, adding the larger scallion pieces to the grill basket during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Divide the vegetables among plates. Slice the steaks, add to the plates and sprinkle with the thinly sliced scallions.

Boozy Chocolate Poke Cake

Janet is turning 60 on Sept 3rd. We had a surprise party for her on the Saturday before! And every good party needs a good cake! So I made this Boozy Cake for Janet. 

It's involved and you do need to plan a little (like get your ice cream out to melt).

This cake was RIGHTEOUS! So good. I highly recommend making this for anyone you love...or you could make it for someone you hate and NOT give it to them. 

The other benefit is you have left over Guinness. I mean you have to buy a 6 pack and you only use like a cup...

Boozy Chocolate Poke Cake
Recipe from BuzzFeed
Serves 15

Photo from thefeed.com

2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c dark cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 & 1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2  packed brown sugar
1  sour cream, divided
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 c Guinness Draught Stout
1/4 c Baileys Irish Cream
1 & 1/4 c melted vanilla ice cream
2 c heavy whipping cream
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 T coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

Whisk together flour, dark cocoa powder, baking powder, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Combine butter and both sugars in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat on high for 2–3 minutes. Beat in 3/4 cup sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat in eggs.

Mix in half of the flour mixture. Mix in Guinness Draught Stout. Mix in the rest of the flour.

Pour cake batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached.

Remove from oven and let cake cool. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake.

Whisk together Baileys Irish Cream and melted vanilla ice cream. Pour mixture over cake, being sure to fill the holes. Use a silicone spatula to spread liquid evenly.

Combine heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup sour cream in a bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat on high until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream evenly over cake.

Refrigerate for 3 hours.

Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until smooth. Drizzle cake with melted chocolate.

Slice and serve!

Hot Cheesy Cuban Rollups

Part of my 100 New Recipe goal this year is that I'm purposely cooking things like cookies, treats, and appetizers. They're recipes in my list and I can't "wait" to try them when I have company...within reason anyhow. 

This recipe is clearly an appetizer type recipe. My plan was to cook it and have a salad with it. I ended up just having the salad. 

The problem I always have with these types of recipes is that the inside dough RARELY gets cooked and I hate sticky, guncky dough. The outside dough was brown and almost well-done, and the inside was barely cooked. I also COMPLETELY missed the step to cut the roll up first then back. I totally baked the entire roll up and I think that is where I went wrong. 

Ok...I change my mind. I'm going to keep this one and try it again later and correctly. 

Hot Cheesy Cuban Rollups

Recipe from Tasteandsee.com
Serves 12

2 store-bought puff pastry sheets
10 ounces diced pickles (Buy one 20-ounce jar of Claussen sandwich slices - after draining the liquid this will yield the quantity you need)
1/2 c yellow mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 pound thin-to-medium sliced deli ham (this should be more than enough to cover the two puff pastries)
9 ounces sliced Swiss cheese (about 18 slices - I used 9 slices for each puff pastry)
1 egg
1 T water

Thaw out two puff pastry sheets. Roll each one out just a bit onto two large pieces of plastic wrap. (10 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches)

Mix garlic powder, onion powder and mustard together in a small bowl. Spread this evenly across both puff pastry sheets, leaving a ¼-inch border all around the outside edges of the dough. Sprinkle 5 ounces (half) of the diced pickles on each pastry sheet, then layer on the cheese and the ham.

Roll up the dough, making sure that the ham and cheese don’t slide out while you’re rolling. Wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the roll ups, place on a baking sheet seam-side down, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375F and set racks to the upper and lower thirds. Remove the plastic wrap from the roll up, and place it on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, gently cut (using a saw like motion) it into ¾-inch slices. You should have about 12 slices per roll up – 24 total.

Now lay each rollup on its side, on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them an inch or two apart. You may need to reshape them a little to round them out. In a small bowl whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water, then brush this egg wash on top of each pinwheel. Bake for 24-26 minutes total, rotating the baking sheets midway through.

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins

As part of my goal to cook 100 recipes this year, I decided whatever came up in the random selection I'd make. To be fair there have been a couple "sweet" treats I've skipped because it seems pointless to make them and not be able to take them to work (like peanut butter truffle filled cupcakes for example. No way I'm making them for home. 

So these came up and I thought they'd be good for a breakfast or two. I froze 10 of them and kept 2 hour for breakfast this week.

These are light and delicious. I wouldn't use as many chocolate chips next time I make them. 

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins
Butteryourbiscuit.com

Photo from Butter Your Biscuit

Makes 12

2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c butter melted and cooled
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c buttermilk
1 1/4 c mini chocolate chips, plus more for topping

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, soda and salt, set aside.

In another bowl whisk together sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs, sour cream and buttermilk until combined.

Add in the dry mixture and mix until combined. Then fold in chocolate chips.

Fill your muffin tins to the very top, sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top and a pinch of coarse sugar if desired.

Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake another 10-12 minutes. Or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove muffins from oven and let cool, store in an airtight container for 3 days

Carbonnade à La Flamande

 I've had this recipe in my hot little hands since 2005. I think that's the longest I've had anything. 

What is Carbonnade à La Flamande? It's a classic Belgian beef stew. According to Food and Wine, "This classic Belgian beef stew is known for its sweet-sour combination of caramelized onions and beer."

It definitely had the sweet and sour thing going on - which threw me off a bit. I didn't expect to taste any brown sugar considering the recipe is only for 2 T. And yet, I could totally taste it. 

Bottom line? Not my favorite. It's good, but not great. If I were in Belgian I'd totally order it to try it by a professional. I won't likely make it again though since I have so many recipes to try. But it's definitely worth the first try.

Carbonnade à La Flamande
Recipe from MyRecipes

Photo from MyRecipes

Serves: 8

3/4 c flour (about 3 1/3 ounces)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 strips bacon, diced (uncooked)
2 c chopped onion (about 2 large onions)
1 T chopped garlic
1 (14-ounce) can less-sodium beef broth
1 c  water
2 T brown sugar
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T tomato paste
2 T Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal; shake to coat.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon to pan; cook 1 minute. Add beef mixture; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Remove beef from pan.

Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender.

Return beef to pan. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add water and the next 7 ingredients (through beer); bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Uncover and cook 30 minutes or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaves. Garnish with parsley.

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken

 Lime, cilantro and chicken are great together. I like a good, simple marinade and this is just that. If you've cooked for awhile, then this is pretty common sounding marinade. 

I cubed my chicken - more marinade flavor per square bite is my motto. Otherwise, this recipe stood on it's own and I made no modifications to it. 

Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Recipe from Simplyrecipes.com

Photo from Simply Recipes

Serves 4

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 T extra virgin olive oil for the marinade, plus more for grilling
Grated zest from 2 limes
Juice from 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
3 T chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Lime wedges, fresh sprigs of cilantro, and slices of avocado, to serve

Pound chicken breasts to even thickness: Place the chicken breasts between two piece of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound to an even thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Marinate the chicken: Mix the olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, sugar, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add the chicken and massage the marinade into the chicken. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat Grill: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill for medium-high heat grilling, or until you can hold your hand about an inch over the grates for 1 second.

Grill the chicken: Remove the chicken breasts from the refrigerator. Remove them from the marinade and pat them dry with paper towels. Coat the chicken breasts with some olive oil.

When the grill is hot, place the chicken breasts on the grill. Grill for a few minutes on each side, until just cooked through.

Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole

 RECIPE FAIL!!! Big time. 

The recipe sounds delicious. But I cheated and took shortcuts when I knew I shouldn't. 

The first is I cut the receipt in half...not a fail for sure, but I sometimes think cutting recipes in half they just don't turn out as good. 

The second is I dislike rice in a bag, or minute rice. I had a couple of cups of minute rice (brown and white) so decided to use that instead of the rice in a bag. Usually when rice in a bag, or minute rice is called for I just make rice. It's not that hard. 

But I caved. I wanted to use the things I had in my pantry. Blech. One of the cups of white rice smelled funny. Like vinegar-y. So I tossed it. One cup of the brown rice also smelled funny. So I got one cup of white and one cup of brown. Bad combo. 

I may try this again, but unlikely. I have so many recipes to try that unless it's FANTASTIC its not likely I'll make it again. 

Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole
Recipe from My Recipes

Lemon Grilled Chicken Breasts

 Lemon and chicken go together like ... well peanut butter/jelly, wine/cheese, Abbott/Costello, and so on. And lemon happens to be one of my favorite flavors. 

Nothing fancy about this recipe. Super easy, and definitely filled with flavor. I used 3 cloves of garlic, because, well...I'm a Wraspir and that's what you do. 

Lemon Grilled Chicken Breasts
Recipe from Myrecipes.com
Serves 4

3 T fresh lemon juice

Photo from MyRecipes

2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.

Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until done.

Mexican Pizza

 I've not ever had Mexican pizza in this sense. The author of this blog likens this to the Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell. I've definitely not had that, so I can't compare. 

This recipe has a bit of prep before you can put everything together. So you will need to plan so you have all your components cooked so you can put the pizza together. 

Overall it was tasty, but I think I'd stick to just tostadas - they're just simpler. This was a bit of a mess to eat.

Also I couldn't find taco sauce, so I used enchilada sauce. And I added a half of can of green chilis in with the meat because I had some left over. 

Mexican Pizza
Recipe from Butteryourbiscuit.com

Photo from ButterYourBiscuit

Serves 4

1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1/4 c water
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas low carb
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 (8 oz) jars taco sauce
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c shredded pepper-jack cheese
1 large diced tomatoes
1 can sliced olives
1/2 c vegetable oil
green onions sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large skillet heat the oil up on medium heat.

Fry each tortilla in the oil just until lightly browned and crispy, remove and set aside on paper towels

Meanwhile, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning, water and simmer then add 1/2 cup taco sauce. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a small pan on medium heat warm the refried beans

Place a single layer of the beans on the crispy tortillas, followed by a layer of the taco meat, Top with another tortilla. Spread 3-4 tablespoons of taco sauce, sprinkle some cheddar and jack cheese and top with a few tomatoes and olives.

Bakes in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly

Remove from oven let set for 5 minutes top with green onions and slice

Judy Hubbell's Baked Halibut

 Mrs. Hubbell is a family friend that had been in our lives forever. We lost her several years ago but her legacy in her food lives on. I have a couple of recipes from her, but this is my favorite. 

I'm a fan of halibut. It's expensive and I've been known to bake the crap out of it causing halibut jerky...but not tonight. Tonight I remembered to put the timer on!

Super easy. Super delicious recipe. But I made it better.

First, I added Parmesan and parsley to the panko. Oh and I used panko instead of bread crumbs. And lastly, I cooked it in the air fryer. 

Judy Hubbell's Baked Halibut
Recipe from Mrs. Hubbell!

Photo from the internet

Serves as many as you want

1 c butter
1 c bread crumbs ( I used Panko)
Johnny's Seafood Seasoning
Juice of one lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt butter, add lemon juice. 

Combine bread crumbs, salt, pepper and seafood seasoning. [JW: I added grated paremsan and parsley]

Dip halibut in butter mix, then dredge in bread crumbs.

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Bake halibut at 400F until done.

Low Carb Pepperoni Pizza

Pizza is a fave of mine. Anyone who doesn't like pizza, in my opinion, has something not right in their noggin. But, trying to be low carb pizza isn't a great option. Enter Low Carb Pizza dough. 

There are a million and one recipes on the internet for FatHead Pizza dough. This recipe is just like all those really. The one main difference is the psyllium husk. Turned out I had run out of psyllium husk and so I didn't use it. The dough was just fine. 

This dough has tricked me in the past. Not mixing it well enough and the almond flour clumping and so on and so on. But this time I got smart. 

Researching and watching videos, I used fresh mozzarella. You know? Like in the ball, not the shredded kind in a bag. Those kinds have fillers to them that keep them fresh and so melting that is troublesome. 

The next thing I did was put the almond flour in with the cheese as I melted it. I mixed it all together so the almond flour was evenly distributed.

I took my time and mixed this really well. It's a wet dough and rolling it between two pieces of parchment paper with olive oil on them worked great. I also recommend cooking this ONE parchment. So much cheese means this may stick.

If you are expecting the taste and texture of pizza dough, you will be disappointed. If you're looking for a reasonable replacement for pizza while on low carb, this will work for you. 

Low Carb Pepperoni Pizza
Recipe from Ruled.me
Serves 2

Pizza Base
2 c (~8 oz.) mozzarella cheese
¾ c almond flour
1 T psyllium husk powder
3 T (~1.5 oz.) cream cheese
1 large egg
1 T Italian seasoning
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Toppings

1 c (~4 oz.) mozzarella cheese
½ c Rao’s tomato sauce
16 slices pepperoni

Optional: sprinkled oregano

Microwave mozzarella cheese until completely melted, then add all other base ingredients (except olive oil) and mix together.

Knead dough into a ball, then spread out into a circle using the olive oil on the outside of the dough.

Bake crust for 10 minutes under 400F. Remove from oven, flip, and bake for 2-4 more minutes.

Top the crust with toppings of your choice and bake for another 3-5 minutes.

Let cool slightly, slice, and serve!

Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms with Parmesan

 Oh Mushrooms! How I love thee. They, like broccoli, I eat frequently and I often get bored with the ol' saute with garlic. So finding a simple, flavorful (layers of flavors), and delicious recipe made me happy. 

Now that I've made this, I'm even more happy. This will make it into my normal rotation for veggie sides. 

Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms with Parmesan
Recipe from Eatingwell.com

Photo from EatingWell.com

Serves 4

2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried marjoram
½ tsp ground pepper
¼ tsp salt
1 pound mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 T balsamic vinegar
¼ c grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Stir oil, marjoram, pepper and salt together in a large bowl. Add mushrooms and toss to coat. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with vinegar. Sprinkle with Parmesan and continue roasting until the cheese is melted, about 5 more minutes.

Steak Marsala

I love steak. And I love steak with mushrooms. This is a nice marrying of the two flavors with some Marsala wine. 

I didn't pan fry my steak. I'm not a fan of that. I like the good old grill for steaks. So I started this recipe with the mushrooms, and then went on from there. 

Helpful hint: Have your ingredients out and measured. This sauce moves pretty quickly. I didn't have my stuff out and so I found myself rushing around the kitchen. When I do that I miss an ingredient. 

Steak Marsala
Recipe from Cook's Country Feb / March 2019

3 T extra virgin olive oil
12 oz cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
Salt and pepper
4 (6 oz) top sirloin steaks, trimmed
1 shallot, minced
1 T flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
3/4 c plus 1 T sweet marsala
4 T unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled
1/2 c chicken broth
1 T minced fresh parsley
2 tsp lemon juice

Heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add cremini mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook, covered until mushrooms release their liquid, about 3 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are well browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. 

Pat steaks dry and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 T oil to pan at medium heat until smoking. Add steaks and cook until well browned on the first side, about 4 minutes. Flip steaks and cook until well browned on second side, 4-6 minutes. check temperature and continue cooking until it reaches desired doneness. 

Heat remaining 1 T of oil in empty skillet over medium-high heat. add shallot, flour, garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper. Cook until shallot begins to soften, about 1 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup Marsala wine, and 1/2 c chicken broth cook until reduced to 1 cup and slightly thickened, 5-7 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time, until emulsified. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, cremini mushrooms and remaining 1 T Marsala wine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice steaks thin and transfer to warm platter. Spoon sauce over steaks and serve.

Loaded Broccoli

 Broccoli is my go-to veggie. And because of that, I get bored with it pretty quickly. I've been looking for other options and found this little recipe. 

I have to admit, sour cream with broccoli was odd. When I make this again, I'll keep to just the cheese and bacon. 

Loaded Broccoli
Recipe from Thatlowcarblife.com

Photo from ThatLowcarblife.com

Serves 4

12 ounces broccoli florets
1 c freshly grated cheddar cheese
1/3 c sour cream
1/2 c fried and crumbled bacon
2 T chopped chives
salt and pepper, to taste

Add the broccoli to a steamer basket set over boiling water and cover.

Steam for 5 minutes or until broccoli is as tender as you'd like.

Divide the broccoli between four plates and top with the cheddar, sour cream, bacon, and chives.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Five Minute Garlic Parmesan Chicken Tenders

 Nothing about this recipe is wrong. I've used mayo on chicken for many years now after a friend told me about how it keeps chicken breasts moist. Adding Parmesan cheese to it just makes it better. 

This is a simple, delicious recipe.

Five Minute Garlic Parmesan Chicken Tenders
Recipe from Joyfilledeats.com
Serves 4

Photo from Joyfilledeats.com

1 pounds chicken tenderloins
1/2 c mayo
3/4 c shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine the mayo, 1/4 cup of the cheese, garlic, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Put the chicken on a large baking sheet. I put parchment on mine to save on the cleanup.

Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Optional: Broil for 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese. Watch the chicken closely if you are broiling so it doesn't burn.

Antipasti Cheese Ball

 Sunday dinner tonight. We're actually going to do it socially distant in Sister in Laws back yard. It's a perfect day for it. 

The theme is wine tasting and appetizers. This sounded like the perfect appetizer to me. And whoa boy is this delicious. I almost didn't put in the perroncinis and am so glad I did. Not spice at all and added that nice vinegary tang.

After I made this my first thought was, this slathered over chicken breast would be delicious.

Antipasti Cheese Ball
Recipe from Cuisine at Home Oct 2019

Photo from Cuisine at Home

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c grated Parmesan
2 T olive oil
2 T minced fresh garlic
1 T red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp anchovy paste (a must)
Black pepper to taste
2 oz hard salami, finely diced
1/4 c finely diced roasted red peppers
1/4 c finely diced pepperoncini
1/4 c each finely diced kalamata olives and Castelvetrano olives

Beat together cream cheese through anchovy paste, stir in black pepper.

Stir in salami through olives. 

Line a 3 1/2 c bowl with plastic wrap, press cheese mixture into bowl, smooth top, then cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight, or up to 1 week. 

Alternative for decorating: half olives placed against the cheese.

Beef and Vegetable Soup

Today was a bit cooler than a normal August day, so I decided soup was the answer. I was told today that the first weekend in August here is, traditionally, wetter and cooler than the rest of August. Soup it is then. 

Super flavorful soup. I'm sure I've made this before, but I have no record of it. It's a Cook's Illustrated recipe so it's a bit more involved. But I've learned my lesson to follow their recipes word for word...you won't regret it.

Beef and Vegetable Soup
Recipe from Cook's Illustrated Oct 2007
Serves 6

Photo from McCormicks

1 lb sirloin tip steaks, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2" chunks
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 large onion, chopped
2 T tomato paste
1 med garlic clove, minced
1/2 c red wine
4 c beef broth
1 3/4 c low sodium chicken broth
4 med carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 " slices
2 med celery ribs, cut into 1/2 " pieces
1 bay leaf
2 T mince fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Combine beef and soy sauce in medium bowl; set aside for 15 minutes. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium high heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and onions; cook stirring frequently until onion pieces are brown and dark bits form on the bottom of the pan, 8-10 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl. 

Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally until liquid evaporates and meat starts to brown, 6-10 minutes.

Add tomato paste and garlic, cook, stirring constantly until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add red wine, deglaze the pan and cook until syrupy, 1-2 minutes. 

Add beef broth, chicken broth, carrots, celery, bay leave and browned mushrooms and onions; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until vegetables and meat are tender, 25-30 minutes.

Taco Empanadas

Ever since I made these hand pies a couple of weeks ago, I've been wanting to make more. This recipe is anything but low cal, but it was delicious. It's like a taco inside a biscuit. What could be bad about that? 

Taco Empanadas

Recipe from Amandascookin.com

Serves 8 - if you make them small. 4 if you make them a bit larger, like I did.

1 can of large refrigerator biscuits

3/4 c refried beans, divided

1 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided

3/4 c prepared taco meat, divided

Optional garnishes: chopped tomato, chopped green onion, sour cream

Preheat oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Flatten a biscuit on the foil using the heel of your hand, starting from the center and working your way outward.

Spread one tablespoon of refried beans onto the flattened biscuit.

Top refried beans with a tablespoon of shredded cheese.

Add a heaping tablespoon of prepared taco meat onto the cheese.

Fold the biscuit by pulling one side up over the other and sealing the edges with your finger. Crimp the edges and poke a few holes in top with a fork.

Drizzle some of the juice from the taco meat over the empanada. Top with another tablespoon of shredded cheese.

Repeat these steps for all empanadas.

Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Pan Seared Chicken with Balsamic Cream Sauce, Mushrooms and Onions

I'll make this recipe again, and I'll follow the actual recipe. I wanted to try something with the air fryer and learned a very valuable lesson.

I wanted to see if you could get a crispy crust using the traditional dredge of flour, egg, bread crumbs. Certainly not low carb, but wanted to see if it would work. 

Turns out it really doesn't. At least in my air fryer. The egg cooked so it was pretty eggy, and the bread crumbs just got hard. All together not a great combo. I may need more oil in the air fryer since that's usually what drys things out. But following another recipe I covered the chicken cutlets with a spray of Pam on both sides. Still not sure it's enough. 

The other modification I made is I cooked the mushrooms separately. I like browned, really cooked down mushrooms and this recipe has you just adding them in to the liquid. 

So if you follow this recipe it would not only be low carb, but likely dellicious. Like I said, I'll make it again and actually follow the recipe.

Pan Seared Chicken with Balsamic Cream Sauce, Mushrooms and Onions

Recipe from Peaceloveandlowcarb.com

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Photo from PeaceLoveandLowCarb

5 T butter, divided

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

½ c chicken stock

1 c heavy cream

2 T balsamic vinegar

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved

½ c grated Parmesan cheese

2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Lightly season the chicken breasts with sea salt and black pepper on both sides. In a large sauté pan over medium-low heat, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the onions. Cook until the onions are nice and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. In a separate pan, over medium-high heat, pan-sear the chicken breasts in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Brown the chicken on both sides and then remove from pan and set aside. (Chicken will not be fully cooking during this stage)

De-glaze the pan with chicken stock. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the pan and mix in any remaining bits of chicken. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, add the heavy cream, balsamic vinegar, mushrooms and a little sea salt and black pepper. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken breasts back to the sauce pan, and simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through, about 12 minutes

Remove the chicken breasts from the pan and plate. Add the Parmesan cheese and caramelized onions to the sauce and stir until the cheese is melted into the sauce. Pour the sauce over top of chicken.

Garnish with fresh parsley, if using.

Per Serving – Calories: 482 | Fat: 33g | Protein: 42g | Net Carbs: 6.5g

Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken

If you don't have an air-fryer, and you like crunchy food, you should get one. I bought a small one and use it all the time. When I first got it, I used it nightly. Then, as is the case, the new toy rubs off and it ends up being used a couple times a week. Still...it makes GREAT crunchy. And, surprisingly, cooks burgers really well too. There's a ton you can do with them, and I'm only just beginning. 

This recipe I kept low carb and didn't use panko on the whole batch. I was curious how they'd be with or without Panko. I mean, Panko makes everything crunchier. 

Both chicken sets were delicious. Adding the mayo really does a good job keeping them moist when cooking in an air fryer. Frankly, I liked the version without the Panko better. The Parmesan had a chance to really crisp up as it was the only thing on the chicken. 

Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Recipe from Adventuresofanurse.com

2 Large Chicken breasts

1 c Parmesan shredded

1 c panko bread crumbs

1 c real mayonnaise

Split chicken breasts in half to make "cutlets". Pound each piece with a meat hammer ( so they are even )

Spread Mayo on both sides of each piece of chicken. 

Mix together Panko and Parmesan ( for keto skip the panko). Coat each piece of chicken in the panko/Parmesan mixture

Preheat air fryer to 390

In a single layer place in air fryer, cook for 15 minutes turning once after 10 minutes.