Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!  This evening we are having a really quick dinner since the little trick-or-treaters will be out shortly ringing the doorbell.  I just made myself a quick pizza using the leftover pizza crust I made for the rolls for last night's sloppy joes.  I put the leftover onions, red bell peppers, Poblano peppers on top after a quick saute and tossed in some fresh sliced mushrooms and in less than 15 minutes, my dinner was done.  Hubby is going to finish up the leftover sloppy joes.  Below is a couple quick pictures of my speedy pizza.  It was as quick and easy as using a store bought Boboli.  Enjoy!

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GGC Sloppy Joes & Brussel Chips...

This evening I decided to make "sloppy joes" for dinner.  Since all the ready made canned "Manwich-type" sauces are filled with all kinds of sugars and other "frankenfoods", I made my own from scratch.  They were so easy to make and they even received hubby's "2-thumbs up" approval too!  In creating my recipe, I tried to make it taste as close as I could to the familiar taste we used to eat.  I think it came pretty darn close...close enough for us anyway -- it even LOOKED like traditional sloppy joes!   I also needed to come up with a quick bun for the sloppy joes -- because the meat just HAD to have something to fall out of all over our plates while we ate them!  :-)

I decided the quickest thing would be to make a double batch of the flax-parmesan pizza dough, spread it out, bake it and then cut it into circles for our buns.  I made them thinner (kind of like the popular little round sandwich thins I used to eat).  Unfortunately I couldn't find my big round cookie/biscuit cutter, so I just used the top of a glass to cut them with.  The edges were a little more jagged than if I had actually used a cutter, but it did the job -- they held our meat until it plopped out onto our plates as we picked them up and ate them!  When I roasted brussel sprouts a few days ago and said how my favorite part was the loose, browned crispy little leaves that fell off and how they tasted just like chips to me...well, tonight, I intentionally tore them apart and roasted them as leaves only  to make "brussel chips" -- tossing them in a bit of olive oil, sea salt and black pepper and roasting them until browned.  They were good!  Below I snapped a couple of pics for you to see as well as the quick and easy recipe for "GGC Sloppy Joes" -- these aren't just "Manwiches" -- they're "GourmetGirlWiches".  Enjoy!

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GGC Sloppy Joes

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground beef (I used ground round)
1 tablespoon olive oil, optional (to brown beef, if necessary)
1/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup finely diced Poblano pepper (or green pepper)
1/3 cup finely diced onion
3 ounces tomato paste (half of a small can)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Few dashes Cayenne pepper, optional
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Swerve sweetener (or preferred substitute equivalent to 1 tablespoon sugar)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium saucepan, brown ground beef, breaking it into pieces as it cooks (if necessary, add 1 tablespoon olive oil).  While the beef is browning, add the peppers and onions and continue cooking until beef is cooked and peppers/onions are softened.  Stir in tomato paste; add all the spices and chicken broth and stir well.  Add Swerve (or sweetener of choice) and vinegar; stir and bring to a light boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered on low for 30-45 minutes until most of the liquid has reduced and the sauce thickens.  Once the sauce has reduced to your desired thickness, taste and adjust for seasoning.  Serves approximately 3 to 4.

Note:  I allowed it to simmer for 45 minutes so it was nice and thick and the flavors were concentrated.  Be careful not to over season or salt your meat mixture until after it has reduced as the flavors become more intense and concentrated as it reduces. 

Almond-Coconut Crusted Mahi Mahi

I hope everyone is safe from Hurricane Sandy this evening over the next few days.  We are experiencing a real cold snap here this week.  It went down to 37 degrees here last night and its supposed to go to 35 tonight...to think we were still wearing shorts and flip flops a couple of days ago!  I'm not complaining though -- so many people have it so much worse.  This weekend I picked up some fresh Mahi Mahi filets and decided to fix those for dinner tonight.  Last time I made them, I marinated them first.  This evening I decided to skip that step and just top and bake them.  I decided to make Almond-Coconut Crusted Mahi Mahi so I quickly put together a little topping to crust the fish with.  I lightly roasted some whole almonds and then very coarsely chopped them in my little Magic Bullet (I like using it for small quantities like the 1/2 cup of nuts I chopped in it tonight).  I added some unsweetened coconut and spices and also added a couple of teaspoons of Swerve sweetener just to ever so lightly give the flavor that the coconut was very lightly sweetened and give it a more tropical flavor.  I also sliced some Meyer lemons that are sweeter than regular lemons to use as both a bed to bake the fish on as well as to squeeze on after they were cooked to give the dish a fresh, light, not too tart citrus flavor to compliment the almond and coconut flavors.  Meyer lemons taste like a cross between a tangerine and a lemon and look like orange colored lemons.  It turned out really good -- even hubby liked it and he isn't a big fish fan, generally speaking.  I snapped a few photos below for you to see as well as the little recipe I put together.  Enjoy!

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Almond-Coconut Crusted Mahi Mahi

INGREDIENTS:

Mahi Mahi filets, approximately 1 lb (preferably wild caught)
Olive oil or coconut oil (to oil baking sheet with and brush fish with)
2 lemons (or Meyer lemons or tangerines), sliced thinly (I used Meyer lemons)

Topping
1/2 cup roasted unsalted almonds, very coarsely ground
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Dash of cayenne, optional
2 teaspoons Swerve sweetener (or favorite sweetener equivalent to 2 teaspoons sugar)
2 tablespoons butter, melted 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, combine all topping ingredients well until crumbly; set aside. Lightly brush a foil covered baking sheet with olive oil or coconut oil; lay  lemon/tangerine slices on the baking sheet as a bed to place fish filets on; brush tops of filets with oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper; top with additional lemon/tangerine slices.  

Place in oven and bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes.  Remove fish from oven and flip filets over, keeping only the lemon slices on the bottom.  Divide the topping evenly between the fish filets and lightly press the topping on top of the fish.  Return fish to the oven and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes (depending on thickness).  Remove fish from oven when topping is golden brown and fish is cooked (fish is cooked when it flakes easily); let sit for about 5 minutes to complete the cooking.  Serve immediately.

Chicken & Broccoli "Fettucine" Alfredo

Today was a drastic change in weather for us here in the Atlanta area.  Our high was in the upper 50s today with blustery bone chilling wind.  We are supposed to go down to 37 tonight -- so I guess it is "bye bye basil" tonight.  I don't think the basil can survive those kinds of temps.  They are predicting lows of 34 degrees mid-week.  Guess its time to pull out the turtleneck sweaters!

This evening I made Chicken & Broccoli "Fettucine" Alfredo for dinner.  It was absolutely delicious.  Youngest son also came over and joined us for dinner tonight.  Since the small scale Fettucini Alfredo test run I made earlier in the week as a side dish was successful (made with julienned yellow summer squash), I decided to make a main dish out of it tonight by adding chicken and steamed broccoli florets to make it a complete meal.  It was so simple to make.  I lightly sprayed thin chicken cutlets with olive oil, seasoned them with salt and pepper and briefly grilled them.  Since they are so thin, they only take about 5 minutes to grill.  I julienned 6 or 7 medium sized yellow squash into little matchstick size pieces and set it aside.   I steamed small fresh broccoli florets and sliced the chicken cutlets into strips.  Since we were eating this as a main dish and adding a little bit more sauce, I tried to keep the carbs down somewhat so I made the sauce using half unsweetened almond milk and half light cream (or half-n-half) and I could not taste or tell the difference.  I added the Parmigiano Reggiano, cream cheese and butter as I did earlier in the week and it turned out fantastic.  You can easily add more cream cheese if you want thicker sauce or more Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan if you want it to have a stronger cheese taste.  I snapped a couple photos for you to see below as well as the easy peasy recipe.  Enjoy!

P.S. -- Please note:  In order to make it easier to find only the "Wheat/Grain/Gluten Free" recipes, I've added both a link on the right side of my blog (just above the list of alphabetized recipes) as well as a link in the regular recipe section, and listed it alphabetically under "Wheat/Grain/Gluten Free".  Clicking on either of these links will take you directly to the 108+ recipes and meals (and growing every day) that are completely grain free with no added sugar.  I hope this makes searching for them easier!

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This is the julienned yellow squash fettucine before cooking it

Chicken and Broccoli "Fettucine" Alfredo

INGREDIENTS:

6 - 8 boneless chicken breast cutlets, grilled or sauteed and cut into strips
2 cups small broccoli florets, steamed
6 or 8 medium-large yellow summer squash (julienned into little matchsticks)
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup half-n-half or light cream
4 tablespoon cream cheese (brick style)
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded (or Parmesan), additional to sprinkle on top
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Few good grinds of black pepper, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium non-stick skillet, melt butter on low-medium heat; add almond milk, half-n-half or cream and simmer until it just begins to bubble very gently (do not boil).  Add shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (or Parmesan) stirring gently until it begins to melt; add cream cheese and continue stirring until melted and thickened (the sauce should thickly coat the back of a spoon).  Add dash of sea salt and black pepper, to taste.  If desired, add additional Parmigiano (or Parmesan). 

In another non-stick skillet, heat pan on medium-high heat; add olive oil and julienned squash; tossing and lightly sauteing for about 3 to 5 minutes until squash just begins to wilt/soften a bit.  Do not over cook the squash or make it mushy at all -- it should have texture.  Mix lightly cooked squash with some of the Alfredo sauce and place on plates or in bowls; top with chicken strips and broccoli florets; top with additional sauce and sprinkle with additional shredded cheese, if desired.  Makes approximately 3 to 4 servings.
 

Apple Cinnamon Walnut Rolls w/ Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese

Happy Saturday!  Today has been a busy day.  Hubby and I got up to go vote early and ended up waiting in line for 4 hours!  But, it's good we have it done now.  This afternoon I decided to try and test out Swerve sweetener for the first time -- I picked it up several weeks ago while at Whole Foods.  I've also been wanting to make something "lightly sweet" with apples and walnuts -- sort of like a roll or danish, just less sweet.  I don't have much of a sweet tooth any more but wanted something with just a "hint of sweetness" using apples.  I created and made Apple Cinnamon Walnut Rolls.  I made a non-savory, lightly sweet dough using both flax and almond flour (very lightly sweetened), filled it with apples and walnuts and rolled it up jelly roll fashion, much the same way I did when I made my Easy Cheesy Baguette Bread recently (on Thursday, October 18th in case you want to see how it gets rolled up).

I used Granny Smith apples that I diced, sauteed and added spices to with a little sweetener (Swerve) along with chopped walnuts and rolled it up and baked it in a log shape so I could cut it into 1-inch slices when it cooled and top with Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese.  They look very similar to pecan twirls if you've ever had one of those.  These are not overly sweet at all (on purpose) but are lightly sweetened and absolutely delicious with coffee or tea.  You can actually taste the apples and not the sugar -- there is just enough sweetener to simply enhance the natural flavor of the apples.  If you'd like it to be sweeter, just add more sweetener of your choice and taste the apple mixture until it suits your own personal taste. My first trial using Swerve has left me pleased -- I really like it and look forward to using it again; it measures and bakes just like sugar which makes it more user friendly.  I snapped a few photos below for you to see.  Enjoy!

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Ready to be rolled up

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BOOM! BOOM!

KA-BOOM!

Apple Cinnamon Walnut Rolls w/ Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

Dough Ingredients

1/4 cup PLUS 3 additional tablespoons flax meal (organic golden flax has a milder taste)
1/4 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons Swerve sweetener (or your favorite kind)

2/3 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt, optional

1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute such as Egg Beaters)

1 tablespoon extra light olive oil or coconut oil

2 tablespoons water 

Filling Ingredients
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup Swerve sweetener (or your favorite kind)
1 tablespoon almond flour (for thickening)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts 

Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese Ingredients
4 oz cream cheese, softened (brick style cream cheese)
3 - 4 tablespoons light cream (or half-n-half)
4 - 5 tablespoons Swerve sweetener (or your favorite kind)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

Filling Instructions:  In a medium non-stick skillet, add butter and heat to medium; add diced apples and saute for about 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.  Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup Swerve and stir gently until combined (add additional sweetener if you want it sweeter).  Stir in 1 tablespoon almond flour to lightly thicken any juices (add a little more, if necessary).  Set aside to cool while you make the dough.

Dough Instructions:  In a small bowl, mix "dry dough ingredients" together; make a well in the center of the bowl and add "wet dough ingredients"; mix thoroughly until a thick, somewhat sticky dough forms (if it is too wet to work with, add a tiny bit more flax meal or almond flour).  Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Spread dough on a lightly oiled pan or cookie sheet with greased parchment paper or foil (I used Reynolds non-stick foil, lightly brushed with coconut oil).  

Press the dough out with a lightly greased rubber spatula (to keep it from sticking) into a rectangular shape (approximately 12" x 8").  Sprinkle apple filling evenly on top of the dough; sprinkle evenly with walnuts.  Using your hands or a rubber spatula, begin gently rolling the dough lengthwise, jelly roll fashion, until it is rolled into a tube shaped log (you can also pick up the foil to help roll the dough over).  Make sure the seam side is down and gently press the ends closed so filling doesn't ooze out while baking. 

Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until Apple Walnut Roll looks and feels done.  Remove from oven and let cool about 15 minutes on a rack.  Slice in approximate 1-inch slices with a sharp serrated knife (so delicate slices do not tear apart), spread with butter or Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese.

*Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese Instructions:  In a small bowl, using a spoon or rubber spatula, vigorously stir/whip cream cheese until soft and smooth.  Make a small well in the center of the bowl, add Swerve sweetener and cream mixing them together in the little well to help Swerve dissolve into the cream  Add cinnamon and vanilla and gently fold, blend and incorporate the cream cheese and sweetened cream and cinnamon mixture.  Vigorously whip with spoon or spatula until light and creamy.  If more sweetness is desired, add additional Swerve (or sweetener of choice).  

    

Pizza Crust - Wheat/Grain Free

This evening I decided to test out a modified pizza crust at the request of one of my readers.  She asked me if I had ever used almond flour to make a pizza crust before and I told her I had not.  I've made a cauliflower pizza crust that was good but really tedious and not very practical for me to make on a work night as well as a Flax/Herb/Parmesan pizza crust that I created.  My favorite is the one with flax and its the one I make all the time; it's quick and easy and my favorite so far.  I told my follower that I would test one out this weekend using almond flour...so here goes my first test!  I essentially used my Flax/Herb/Parmesan crust that I bumped up the herbs and seasonings for on the dough I made my calzones with last week.  

So tonight, I am using that basic calzone dough I made last week but substituting 1/2 almond flour for 1/2 of the flax in the recipe.  That means it uses 1/4 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup flax instead of all flax.  Since almond flour tends to burn easier, I also lowered the baking temperature to 375 degrees F.  For the record, it came out awesome!  For those of you that may be wondering, this was a crust you could pick up and eat with your hands easily which is exactly what I did.  I only needed my fork to pick up the toppings that fell off onto my plate.  The dough was a little more sticky than the plain flax dough and not as springy when I was spreading it out on the pan -- if yours is too moist, add another tablespoon or so of grated cheese to dry it up a bit.  Well, now I have a dilemma -- I like this crust as much, if not a little more than the plain flax I usually make -- but that isn't such a bad problem to have now, is it?  :-)  I snapped a few photos below for you to see as well as my recipe. This one is for you, Nora!!!  Enjoy!  

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Almond/Flax/Parmesan Herb Pizza Crust
Makes 1 10-inch round pizza

INGREDIENTS:

Dry Ingredients

1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup golden flax seed meal (organic golden flax has a milder taste than brown)

2/3 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
Dash cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste (decrease salt if using saltier cheeses and toppings)

Few grinds of freshly ground black pepper

4 - 5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Wet Ingredients

1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute such as Egg Beaters)

1 tablespoon olive oil (a little more, if desired)

1 to 2 tablespoons water  (start by adding 1 tablespoon)

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together; add wet ingredients and mix well.

Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Spread dough on a lightly oiled large round pizza pan or on a cookie sheet with greased parchment paper (I used Reynolds non-stick foil, lightly brushed with olive oil and pressed the dough out with a rubber spatula so it wouldn't stick).  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through (check it after 15 minutes and take out if it looks and feels done).  Add sauce, cheese, pre-cooked toppings and place back into the oven for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese.  If desired, run under the broiler for a few minutes to lightly brown the toppings and make the cheese bubbly (be careful not to burn it).

Here is the crust fresh out of the oven

  

Spicy Grilled Chicken, "Fettucine Alfredo" & Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Today was warm here -- 77 degrees this afternoon, so I decided it would be a perfect evening to grill out.  I lightly sprayed both sides of boneless chicken breasts with olive oil and then sprinkled both sides with another one of my "Penzeys Spices".  This was one of their combinations called "Forward".  The ingredients in it are: Special Extra Bold black pepper, onion, paprika, garlic, tumeric and extracts of celery, rosemary, black pepper, thyme, basil & paprika.  It was spicy but not overly so.  For our veggie, I made roasted brussel sprouts which are so easy to do.  I cut the ends off of fresh brussel sprouts, then cut them in half and spread out on a foil lined cookie sheet and drizzled with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkled with Celtic salt and freshly ground black pepper and then tossed them around to evenly coat and roasted in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes (tossing/stirring around after 10 minutes).  It can take more or less time depending on how large your sprouts are -- mine were small so they took about 17-18 minutes.  I had 2 medium-large yellow squash in the fridge that I wanted to do something different with so I decided to do a mini-experiment with turning them into a side dish of "Fettucine Alfredo".  I like trying some of these new ventures out on a smaller scale at first -- that way if they totally bomb, you haven't wasted a lot of your time and ingredients.  I must say -- it turned out awesome!  Typically, I am not a fan of "Alfredo" dishes because I don't like lots of heavy sauces on things -- I'm kind of weird like that about gravy too.  I posted the super simple recipe that I "made up as I went" this evening below.  The amount I made below is just 2 servings since it is only 2 of us for dinner tonight.   I snapped a few photos as well for you to see.  Enjoy!

P.S. -- Don't cry for me Argentina -- thinking that poor GGC burned her brussel sprouts -- I purposely roast them until dark -- and one more thing -- the little loose leaves that fall off and get really dark (like as in the last shade of brown before it turns to black) are some of my favorite parts of these roasted sprouts -- they become nutty and crispy and "chip-like" in texture...I think I just thought of another recipe..."BS chips"...LOL.   I actually may give those a try and tear those little suckers apart one day and make some.  P.S.S. -- Tomorrow is Friday -- YAYYYYYYYYY!!!

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"Fettucine" Alfredo

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium-large yellow summer squash (julienned into little matchsticks)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup half-n-half or light cream
1 tablespoon cream cheese (brick style)
4 - 5 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded (or Parmesan)
Dash of sea salt
Few good grinds of black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a small-medium non-stick skillet, melt butter on low-medium heat; add half-n-half or cream and simmer until it just begins to bubble very gently (do not boil).  Add shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (or Parmesan) stirring gently until it begins to melt; add cream cheese and continue stirring until melted and thickened (the sauce should thickly coat the back of a spoon).  Add dash of sea salt and black pepper, to taste.

In another non-stick skillet, heat pan on medium heat; add olive oil and julienned squash; tossing and lightly sauteing for about 3 to 5 minutes until squash just begins to wilt/soften a bit.  Do not over cook the squash or make it mushy at all -- it should have texture.  Mix lightly cooked squash with the Alfredo sauce and serve topped with additional shredded cheese, if desired.

Lovely Last Night's Leftovers...

This evening I didn't cook because we still had plenty of leftovers from last night's Mexican Meatloaf and Cheddar Cauliflower Mash.  I decided to bump it up a notch and add a little pizzazz to make it just a wee bit different from last night's meatloaf.  I topped my slice of meatloaf with half of a mashed avocado mixed with a little bit of salsa and then added a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and a few diced tomatoes.  It was like eating Mexican Meatloaf on steroids!  :-)   I snapped a quick picture below for you to see.  Enjoy!

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Mexican Meatloaf, Cheddar Cauliflower Mash & Fresh Green Beans

Tonight I was in the mood for meatloaf for some reason (which is really odd because I am typically not a "beef" person and have been that way since early childhood).  I decided to make a revised no grain version of my recipe for Mexican Meatloaf.  The old version had bread crumbs in it as well as eggs, packaged taco seasoning, salsa, green peppers and onions and it was really good.  I pondered using almond flour or pulverized toasted coconut bread as a substitute for the bread crumbs...but decided to make a meatloaf this evening without using any bread crumb substitution to see how it would turn out (it turned out great).  I also made my own taco seasoning (the one I used in my Taco Lettuce Wraps) instead of a packaged mix -- not only does it taste better than the packaged mix, it has nothing but seasonings in it...no hidden UPOs (unidentified powdered objects)!  To go with the meatloaf, I decided to make Cheddar Cauliflower Mash in lieu of the mashed potatoes I would have served with it before as well as fresh buttered green beans.  Tonight just seemed like a good night for a comfort meal.  Below are a couple of pictures as well as the recipes for Mexican Meatloaf and Cheddar Cauliflower Mash.  Enjoy!

TA-DA!

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Mexican Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (I used ground round)
1 - 1-1/2 cups chunky salsa
1 egg
1 small Poblano pepper, diced (lightly sauteed, if desired)
1/4 - 1/2 cup onion, diced (lightly sauteed, if desired)
1 recipe of Taco Seasoning (see below)
Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place ground beef in a medium bowl; add remaining ingredients and mix well with your hands.  When thoroughly mixed, shape into an oblong loaf shape with your hands.  Place into a 1 to 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish.  Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 45 to 50 minutes or until done.  Top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, if desired.

*Note:  If preferred, add additional onion, peppers and salsa.

*  Taco Seasoning (blend all ingredients in a small bowl):
    2 teaspoons chili powder
    1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/4 teaspoon onion powder
    1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
    1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
    1/4 teaspoon paprika
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    1 teaspoon black pepper

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Cheddar Cauliflower Mash

INGREDIENTS:

1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup cream or half-n-half
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons sour cream (or cream cheese)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives or grated sharp cheddar cheese, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Place cauliflower and chicken stock in a medium sized saucepan.  Cover and bring to a simmer of medium-high heat and cook until completely tender (about 10-15 minutes).  Cook all the chicken stock out of the cauliflower.  Add garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste; stir in cream and puree with an immersion blender until completely smooth (or use a food processor).  Stir in the cheese and mix well until melted and well blended.  Stir in sour cream (or cream cheese) and taste to adjust seasoning.  Serve garnished with optional snipped fresh chives or grated sharp cheddar cheese.  Makes about 3 generous servings.

 

Monday's Chicken Lo Mein

This evening's dinner was really quick to put together.  I made Chicken Lo Mein (using zucchini noodles in place of traditional noodles).  I diced the boneless chicken breasts yesterday and also cut my broccoli up into bite-sized florets so that was done ahead of time which really helped make dinner quick tonight.  All I had to do when I got home was dice some of the small red, yellow and orange peppers that I put into my Lo Mein as well as mince some fresh garlic.  I popped my broccoli florets into the microwave to steam for about 3 minutes while I stir fried everything else.  I used a little extra virgin coconut oil in my wok and tossed in the minced garlic and some red pepper flakes for heat; then added the diced chicken and peppers and stir fried until the chicken was done.  Once the chicken was cooked I added the zucchini noodles that I made with my Spirelli and stir fried them until they were crisp-tender.  I usually use chicken broth to make the sauce, but I didn't have any that was opened, so I made a well in the center of my wok by pushing everything aside and added about 1/4 cup of water, a couple tablespoons of low sodium tamari sauce, cayenne pepper and then a couple tablespoons of natural peanut butter, stirring until melted.  I adjusted the consistency of the sauce by adding a little bit more water, then tasted it for seasoning and tossed in the drained steamed broccoli florets and mixed everything together.  I topped it with some roasted peanuts and voila -- dinner was ready!  Sometimes I like cooking when I don't have to measure everything and since some people like different types of vegetables or more meat or veggies than others...it is so easy to personalize this dish and "make it your own".  I snapped a couple photos below for you to see.  Enjoy!

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Here's a closer look

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Sunday Night's "Pasta" Dinner

Today was a busy day -- we ran our errands and then I worked on a few projects.  Youngest son came for dinner tonight so I made something that he would eat -- pasta!  I used my Spirelli to make zucchini pasta for him and me (hubby still eats the wheat pasta).  I made a quick dinner this evening so I used one of my favorite jarred sauces by DelGrosso -- I used their "Sunday Marinara" flavor that has no added sugar.  Of course, I had to add some cayenne pepper to give it a bit of heat.  I sauteed diced boneless chicken breast and fresh sliced mushrooms and then added the sauce, covered and simmered for about 30 minutes.  It was quick, easy and delicious!  I snapped a couple photos below.  Enjoy!

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Sunday's "Mosaic Omelet"...

Happy Sunday!  It's a beautiful, bright and crisp fall morning here...an absolutely gorgeous day!  This morning I decided to make myself a Mosaic Omelet for brunch.  I still had lots of tri-colored mini sweet peppers left that I needed to use, so I diced them along with a little bit of onion and sauteed in olive oil until crisp-tender.  I tossed in a few snipped chives to add a little more color and flavor.  I poured the eggs over the cooked veggies in the pan and lightly covered to help cook the top of the omelet; sprinkled with grated sharp cheddar cheese and then folded over and slid on to my plate.  I still had some leftover Easy Cheese Baguette Bread that I made Thursday night too...so I sliced it and lightly grilled both sides in a non-stick pan sprayed with olive oil until toasty; buttered and "voila", I had little cheesy toast sticks to go along with my omelet.  It was absolutely delicious!  I snapped a few pics below for you to see.  Enjoy!

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Happy Sunday!

Calzones -- "Let them eat calzones"

Today, hubby took me to my favorite place, Atlanta Fish Market, for lunch and I had their broiled salmon and fresh vegetables which were delicious.  This evening, my daughter came over to eat dinner and hubby decided that he'd go and pick up calzones at one of his favorite local pizzerias, Mellow Mushroom, for them both to eat.  They really do have some of the best calzones.  Since they were having calzones this evening, I thought "let them eat calzones"...and I will too!!!

I decided I'd attempt making a low carb calzone with the pizza dough I usually use to make my pizzas -- but would use the modified version that I adapted a couple of nights ago for my Easy Cheesy Baguette Bread which has additional grated Parmesan added to stiffen the dough more so it can be rolled (or in this case folded over).  When the regular dough is made for pizza, you don't move it until it is baked so it doesn't have to be as stiff.  I sauteed some diced onions, red and yellow peppers, mushrooms and turkey pepperoni for the filling.  I used a 6-blend Italian shredded cheese inside as well.  I originally was not going to put any pizza sauce inside and just dip it in sauce afterwards...but at the last moment I decided to put a very thin smear on the crust before adding the cheese and filling.  I will say that it was a little tricky folding it over without tearing it because I overstuffed my little calzone and also spread the cheese and filling over the entire surface before folding over -- do NOT do that!  Place all your filling and cheese on one half and then folder over the plain half of dough and you won't have as difficult a time as I did -- it wasn't awful, but it was just dumb thinking on my part.  After I folded it over, I pressed the edges tightly so they would seal and the filling would not melt out while it baked.  I then lightly brushed it with a little egg wash and sprinkled shredded Parmesan cheese on the top and popped it into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Voila!

Take a peek inside

BOOM!

Low Carb Calzones (Grain Free)

INGREDIENTS:

Dry Ingredients

1/2 cup golden flax seed meal (organic golden flax has a milder taste than brown)

2/3 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
Dash cayenne pepper

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, more or less to taste

Few grinds of freshly ground black pepper

4 - 5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Wet Ingredients

1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute such as Egg Beaters)

1 tablespoon olive oil (a little more, if desired)

2 tablespoons water

Calzone Filling

Favorite shredded cheese (Italian blend, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, etc.)

Favorite pre-cooked toppings (pepperoni, sausage, onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.)

Pinch red pepper flakes, optional

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix dry ingredients together; make a well in the center of the bowl and add wet ingredients; mix well until a dough forms.  If your dough is still too wet, add additional grated Parmesan cheese until dough is stiffer (it will be a bit sticky).  Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Spread dough on a lightly oiled pan or cookie sheet with greased parchment paper or foil (I used Reynolds non-stick foil, lightly brushed with olive oil).  

Press the dough out with a rubber spatula (to keep it from sticking) into an approximate 10-11" circular shape.  Sprinkle shredded cheese of your choice evenly over the top of 1 half of the dough; top with pre-cooked toppings, a little more shredded cheese and red pepper flakes (optional).  Carefully, using your hands and/or a rubber spatula, gently fold over the dough, pressing the edges to seal so filling ingredients don't melt out while baking.  Lightly brush top of calzone with egg wash, if desired, and sprinkle with additional shredded cheese.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until calzone looks and feels done.  Remove from oven and let cool about 5 minutes.  Serve with pizza sauce on the side for dipping, if desired.

Note:  If desired, spread a very thin layer of pizza sauce on the crust before topping with cheese, toppings and folding over (do not add too much or it will make the dough soggy when it bakes).

Folded and ready to be popped into the oven

One more shot before going into the oven

"Ta-da"!

Below is the beautiful & delicious lunch I had today!

Courtesy of Atlanta Fish Market...and hubby!  :-)