Slow Cooker Au Jus Pot Roast

Photo from AllRecipes

Every time I make pot roast I can feel my dad behind my shoulder licking his lips. Pot roast was his favorite. And it's one of my favorites too. 

I have some good recipes, but I like to try new ones just in case they are good too. 

This one, it was ok, but not one I need to make again. Super easy, and very few ingredients. It just didn't hit that "like" button for me enough. 

Slow Cooker Au Jus Pot Roast

Recipe from All Recipes

Serves 8

• 1 (4 pound) boneless beef chuck roast
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
• 1 T Montreal-style steak seasoning
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 cube beef bouillon
• 1 c hot strong black coffee
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano, or to taste
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, or to taste

Rub chuck roast with 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle on all sides with steak seasoning.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the roast in the hot oil until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer roast to a slow cooker.

Dissolve beef bouillon cube in the coffee and pour the mixture over the roast. Pour tomato sauce over meat and season with oregano; drizzle meat with 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce.

Set cooker to Low and cook until meat is tender, 8 to 10 hours.

Cheesy Onion Rings

Photo from
kristysketolifestyle

This weekend was girls weekend at Kathy's cabin. I was responsible for appetizers on Saturday night. 

I have seen this recipe several times on Instagram and I really wanted to try it. 

I used a silicon donut baking pan so I can make sure the melty, cheesy goodness comes out. 

I'm really not sure what went wrong with these. They never crisped up. I had them in a 400F oven for almost 30 minutes. I want to try them again and maybe use less cheese. 

They were tasty to be sure. And they are a great low carb treat. 

Cheesy Onion Rings

Recipe from 

kristysketolifestyle

 (Instagram)

Makes 12 onion rings

• 1 & 1/2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 12 onion slices
• seasoning salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375F. 

Place half of the shredded cheese in each ring of a donut pan.

Add an onion slice to each one.

Top with remaining cheese and then sprinkle on some seasoning salt.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

*Let cool a bit before transferring to a paper towel to drain up the excess grease.

The Best Grilled Chicken Strips

If I've said it once, I'll say it again, if you title a recipe "the best" you'd better bring it.
 

This recipe was not only easy as boiling water, but it was so yummy. You do need to plan for this one though since it needs to marinade for a bit. I did not marinade it over night, but I did marinate it for a good 8 hours. 

The Best Grilled Chicken Strips

Recipe from Sweet C Designs

Serves 6

• 2 lb chicken , sliced into thin strips
• 12 oz Italian dressing, 12oz
• 3 T soy sauce

Cut chicken breasts into 2" thick strips, making sure they are fairly even. Put strips in a large zip bag and cover with Italian dressing and soy sauce. Gently squeeze the air out of the bag. Shake bag so all the chicken is covered with dressing.

Place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Pre-heat and clean grill- rubbing 1/2 an onion on the hot grill cleans and flavors the grates.

Cook chicken on medium heat until 165 internal temperature.

Enjoy when hot, or refrigerate and use for s sack-lunch.

Creamed Broccoli

Photo from Closet Cooking

Broccoli is my go to vegetable - especially when I'm trying to eat low carb. The problem I run into is it gets boring quickly. You can only roast, sauté or steam broccoli so many times before you are over broccoli. 

See, there are not too many low carb vegetables that I like so I get kinda stuck in a rut on veggies. Canned green beans, broccoli and asparagus are what I have the most.

This recipe is amazing and going into my favorites column. Easy to make and so flavorful. 

Watch how much salt you add to the cream sauce though. Remember parmesan can be salty and it can make it too salty then. I actually salted AFTER I added all the parmesan. 

Creamed Broccoli

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Serves 6

• 4 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 T butter
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 T flour (rice flour for gluten-free)
• 1 c milk
• 1/2 c heavy/whipping cream
• 1/4 c parmigiana Reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 c broccoli florets
• 1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook the bacon in a large pan over medium heat before setting aside on paper towels and draining any grease from the pan.

Melt the butter in the pan, add the onion and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and flour and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the milk, bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened a bit, about 1-2 minutes

Add the cream and parmesan and cook until the parmesan has melted into the sauce, about 2-3 minutes.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the broccoli and bacon, mix, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the broccoli is just tender, about 3-5 minutes.

Sprinkle on the cheese, cover and cook until it has melted, about 2-3 minutes.

Grilled Caprese Chicken Salad with Avocado, Bacon and Asparagus

I like a good salad. And since I'm trying to eat low carb this type of salad hits all the spots. 

I didn't add avocado to this because BLECH! And I made the asparagus then forgot to put it in. So I ate it separately standing over the sink. 

But other than that, this was a good salad. 

Grilled Caprese Chicken Salad with Avocado, Bacon and Asparagus

Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings

Serves 6

SALAD

1 pound chicken breasts pounded to even thickness

1 5 oz. pkg. baby spinach

1 c basil leaves, roughly chopped or chiffonade

1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes, halved

6 oz mozzarella pearls

8 oz asparagus, tough ends trimmed/snapped

1-2 Avocados, chopped or sliced

4-6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

salt and pepper to taste

BALSAMIC CHICKEN MARINADE

3 T balsamic vinegar

2 T olive oil

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T lemon juice

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp EACH dried basil, garlic pwdr, onion pwdr,

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

BALSAMIC REDUCTION DRESSING

¾ c quality balsamic vinegar

2 T mayonnaise

2 T milk

1 T lemon juice

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

Whisk together all of the Balsamic Marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Remove 1 tablespoon and add to a large bowl along with tomatoes and asparagus. Toss evenly to coat. Refrigerate.

Add remaining marinade to a large Ziploc bag along with chicken. Marinate 30 minutes up to 4 hours.

When ready to grill, let chicken sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes (time permitting). Meanwhile, grease and preheat the grill to medium heat, 375-450°F. Grill chicken undisturbed for 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. (An inserted thermometer should read 165 degrees F.) Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Grease grill and turn to high heat. Grill asparagus for 2 minutes per side or to desired tenderness. Let cool then cut on diagonal into 1-2-inch pieces.

To make the Balsamic Reduction Dressing, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, then reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring often. Cook until reduced in volume by half, about 8 minutes and just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in remaining dressing ingredients, adding additional milk a teaspoon at a time if desired for a thinner dressing.

Toss spinach, basil, asparagus, tomatoes and mozzarella in a large bowl. Top with chicken, bacon, and avocado. Drizzle individual servings with Balsamic Reduction Dressing.

Korean Pork Kabobs

Photo by Dance Around
The Kitchen

The recipe had great promise, but the instructions weren't complete for the sauce. 

It talks about heating it for 90 seconds in the microwave. It never thickened. The recipe author calls it a "glaze" and a "glaze", to me, is thick. If I were to make this recipe I'd cook the sauce on the stove and let it thicken. It might have had more of a depth of flavor then. 

It had a very strong soy sauce taste and I couldn't figure out why. Then as I reread the recipe to put here in the blog I realized what I had done. 

I cut the ingredients in half and for the soy sauce I was to put in 3/4 Tablespoon. Instead I put in 3/4 cup. That'll make it too soy saucey. 

Now I feel like I need to redo this recipe. That additional liquid is likely why this didn't thicken at all. 

Korean Pork Kabobs

Recipe from Dance Around the Kitchen

Serves 6

• 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons gochujang Korean chili paste
• 1 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• green onions and sesame seeds optional

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. This will help prevent them from burning on the grill/in the oven.

In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, gochujang, rice wine vinegar, honey, minced garlic and ginger.

Microwave the mixture for 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds. Be careful as the mixture will boil and the bowl may be hot.

Cut the pork tenderloin into 1 inch cubes.

Thread the pork cubes onto the soaked skewers and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the grill to medium-high heat and grease lightly to prevent the meat from sticking to the grates.*

Place the seasoned kabobs on the grill.

Grill for 8-12 minutes, rotating the kabobs and brushing with sauce every couple minutes.

Remove from the grill once the largest pork cube reaches 145F.

Garnish with sliced green onions and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Smothered Steak Tips with Creamy Mushrooms and Onions

Photo from Melissa's
Southern Style Kitchen

This recipe turned out better than I thought it would be. I think because I actually followed the recipe and I let the heavy cream cook down. 

At any rate, I used a NY Steak for this because I feel like sirloin needs to be cooked longer to make it more tender. A NY steak will be tender from the get go. 

I am still horrible at pan frying anything meat. In hindsight I wish I would have just grilled it then put it in the sauce. It was still fine, but I over cooked the meat. 

Smothered Steak Tips with Creamy Mushrooms and Onions

Recipe from Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen

Serves 8

Marinade:

• 2 1/2 lb top round or sirloin steak cubed
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
• 1 green onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced

Olive oil

1 lb portabella or cremini mushrooms sliced

1 large Vidalia onion sliced into thin wedges

1/2-1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 cup heavy cream

Place the steak in a large plastic storage bag. Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, steak seasoning, minced onion and garlic. Shake to coat. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Prepare: Heat a few drizzles of oil in a large skillet over high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade and add to the pan. Discard the marinade.

Lower heat to medium high. Let steak sit to form a crust for a couple of minutes, then turn and repeat. Sauté the steak for around 4-5 minutes total or until your desired doneness and browned. Remove from the pan.

Add additional olive oil to the pan. Saute the mushrooms and onions for 5-7 minutes scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Season with an additional 1/2-1 tsp of steak seasoning salt and fresh thyme leaves. Adjust seasonings to your taste.

Once the mushrooms and onions have browned and the juices released add the cream to the pan.

Mix thoroughly, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return steak back to the pan cooking just until heated through.

Serve immediately over mashed potatoes or buttered rice.

Crispy Chicken and Apple Salad

I love me a good salad. And salad prep for lunch makes for easy lunches a couple of times a week. 

The main thing I didn't do in this recipe is dredge the chicken in flour, egg and panko. It would have been WAY better, but I'm trying to keep the carbs down. I just pan fried the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. 

I also added some dill and chives to the ranch dressing. Just parsley seemed too boring. But a MUST is using buttermilk. You will regret it if you don't. 

Crispy Chicken and Apple Salad

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Serves 4

• 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1 c panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound total)
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c buttermilk
• 2 T mayonnaise
• 1 T white-wine vinegar
• 1 T chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (8 cups)
• 2 apples, such as Gala or Fuji, cored and cut into thin wedges
• 1/2 c dried cranberries

On a plate, season flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a shallow dish, whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water. On another plate, season panko with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pat chicken dry. Dredge chicken in flour, then dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Coat with panko, pressing gently to adhere.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken; cook until golden brown and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total, flipping once. 

In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Arrange lettuce, apples, and cranberries on a platter. Slice chicken, add to platter, and drizzle with dressing.

**Low carb - use pork rinds instead of panko

Vegetable Beef Soup

It was a beautiful sunny day today in Seattle, which makes it odd that I made soup. But when random recipes dictate what you make...

This was a good soup. I liked the added flavor from Italian seasoning. I'd make it again.

I kept out the potatoes (keeping things low carb). And I'm not a fan of frozen veggies so I used a can of VegAll (which has a few potatoes).

Vegetable Beef Soup

Recipe from Tornadoughalli.com

Serves 6

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion diced

1 tsp garlic minced

Salt & pepper to taste

3 1/2 cup beef broth

1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1 10.5 oz can condensed tomato soup

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp italian seasoning

1 16 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables

2 medium potatoes any variety, we use russet

In large pot or Dutch oven add your ground beef, onion and garlic and cook until meat is no longer pink and onions are translucent.

Add your salt and pepper and mix to combine.

Mix in your beef broth, tomatoes, tomato soup, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, vegetables and potatoes.

Bring to a boil the reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Garlic Sauce

Photo from
Cafe Delites

I'm back at it. I haven't cooked at home for several weeks. It feels good to get back into cooking dinners. 

This meal starts with a basic cream sauce. If you master how to make a basic cream sauce, the options are endless for flavoring that sauce. 

This sauce is flavored with garlic and parmesan cheese. A perfect combination. I served the cream sauce with pasta, but it would have been just as good on it's own, or over mashed potatoes.

Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Garlic Sauce

Recipe from Cafe Delites

Serves 6

For The Chicken:

• 1 1/2 pounds (700g) boneless skinless chicken thighs (around 6-8 fillets)
• 1 tsp each onion powder and garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp each of dried thyme and rosemary
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 T olive oil

For The Sauce:

• 1 T butter
• 8 ounces (250 g) sliced brown mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tablespoon minced garlic)
• 1 T fresh chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 c heavy cream / thickened cream 
• 1/2 c fresh shredded parmesan cheese

Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel and trim off excess fat. Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, herbs, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken evenly with the combined seasoning.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat and sear chicken thighs in batches until browned on each side and no longer pink in center (about 8 minutes each side, depending on thickness). Add remaining oil if needed for second batch. Transfer to a plate; set aside and keep warm.

To the same pan or skillet, melt the butter and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook until soft (about 3 minutes). Add the garlic, parsley, thyme and rosemary; sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Stir in cream, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and continue cooking until sauce has thickened slightly. Stir in the parmesan cheese and allow it to melt through the sauce for a further 2 minutes, while occasionally stirring.

Return chicken to the pan. Taste test and season with salt and pepper to your taste. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Spanish Garlic Green Beans

Photo from Spain on a Fork

Last night was Sunday dinner. Well, not just Sunday dinner, but PAELLA Sunday Dinner. The Yank and PhotoGirl are now the annual Paella Sunday Dinner in June. 

As part of it, everyone brings Spanish related sides, appetizers etc. So I opted to bring a side. I googled Spanish sides and this recipe came up. Seemed simple. 

What made this recipe is the Sherry Vinegar. WHERE has that been all my life? These beans were "off the hook" good. They will now be part of my rotation of veggies in this house. 

Spanish Garlic Green Beans

Recipe from Spain on a Fork

Serves 4

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 ml
• 1 lbs green beans 450 grams
• 5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar 8 ml
• pinch sea salt
• dash black pepper

Fill a stock pot half ways with water, season generously with sea salt and heat with a high heat

Meanwhile, add the green beans into a colander and rinse under cold running water

Once the water comes to a boil in the stock pot, add in the green beans, once it comes back to a boil cook the green beans for exactly 2 minutes, then remove them from the stock pot and add into a bowl with iced water, after a couple of minutes drain the green beans and pat completely dry, then trim off a little bit from the ends

Heat a large fry pan with a medium to medium high heat

Once the pan is nice and hot, add in the olive oil and the green beans, mix every 30 seconds so all the green beans evenly sautee, after 3 to 4 minutes and they´re starting to lightly blister, add in the chopped garlic, mix continuously, after 30 seconds add in the sherry vinegar, chopped parsley and season with sea salt & black pepper, quickly mix together and then remove from the heat

Transfer into a serving dish, serve warm or at room temperature, enjoy!