Easy Mexican Style Meatloaf - Low Carb

This evening I made my Mexican Style Meatloaf for dinner. I actually did a little bit of prep last night by sauteing half of a diced red bell pepper, a diced Poblano pepper, and a diced small Vidalia onion in a bit of olive oil until softened and the onion translucent. I put them in a small bowl and popped them in the fridge overnight so I could just mix them into my beef along with the spices when I got home from work this evening. I used my meatloaf recipe found here: Mexican Style Meatloaf and just added the diced cooked peppers and onions to give it an additional boost of flavor. You can choose to add or omit to suit your own taste. I simply mixed everything together which took about 5 minutes and then popped it into my preheated oven for a little over an hour. Note that in place of the typical egg and breadcrumbs added to traditional style meatloaf as a binder, instead I used shredded cheese as my binder. It works amazingly well and adds flavor as well. You will never miss those fillers, I promise. I snapped a few photos of tonight's meatloaf below. If you'd like to try another delicious flavor of meatloaf, be sure to check out my recipe for Greek Style Meatloaf w/ Eggplant, Spinach & Feta here: Greek Style Meatloaf. Enjoy!

      

Oven Roasted Citrus-Butter Wild Copper River Salmon - Easy, Sustainable, Low Carb

This evening I made my favorite Wild Copper River Salmon for dinner. I picked it up at Costco, who had it for $14.99/lb this past weekend (it was $16.99/lb the weekend prior). I kept it simple and seasoned it with sea salt and pepper and put softened butter on top and then alternated fresh orange and lemon slices. I popped it into a preheated 450 degree oven and then immediately reduced the oven temp to 425 degrees and roasted it for 10-12 minutes (depending on thickness), then removed it from the oven and covered it with heavy duty foil and let it sit about 5 minutes. It turned out delicious. I served it with steamed cauli-rice (raw cauliflower grated with a box grater then briefly steamed in the microwave) tossed with butter and diced multi-colored baby tomatoes. It was a healthy, quick and delicious meal. I snapped a few photos below. If you'd like to try another delicious version of this beautiful salmon...be sure to check out my Roasted Copper River Salmon w/ Dijon Cream Sauce. Enjoy!

               

Mini Cheddar Bay Muffins - Low Carb & Grain Free

Today I've got a new recipe to share. It's a quick and ridiculously simple recipe for an absolutely delicious little bite of "cheddar heaven" made with just a few simple ingredients; predominantly cheddar cheese and Honeyville blanched almond flour! They have big cheddar flavor crammed into a tiny little package. If you like the oh so popular "cheddar bay biscuits"...you are going to love these little "Mini Cheddar Bay Muffins". They are sort of biscuity and muffiny all at the same time...and most definitely delicious. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Check out the photos below. To get to the recipe, please click here: Mini Cheddar Bay Muffins. Enjoy!

        

Spaghetti & Meat Sauce w/ Grain Free Zoodles

Greetings! I decided I was way overdo for a post. I've been swamped here the past couple of weeks. There is lots going on in the GGC household recently (it's all good though, so no worries). It's about to get a bit crazier though...but it will all be worth it. Enough of my stuff for now; I'll share more later. This evening I was in the mood for "spaghetti" for dinner. I made a big pot of thick meat sauce by simply browning a couple pounds of ground beef, diced Vidalia onion, and a couple of diced zucchini together in a bit of olive oil. I opened a jar of Del Grosso's Fireworks Sauce and poured it into the pot of browned beef and veggies and simmered it for about 20 minutes or so. I added a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes to boost the heat a bit.

While the sauce simmered, I made a big pile of zoodles with my Paderno Tri-Blade Vegetable Slicer. It only took a couple of minutes to make them. I lightly salted them and wrapped them in paper towels to extract the excess moisture for about 30 minutes and then lightly sauteed them in olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, just until they were al dente. It was a simple but delicious meal. I snapped a few photos below. If you haven't already seen my post on "How to Make Non-Watery Zoodles" before...it's worth checking out. I just got tired of having "zoodle soup" every time I wanted spaghetti...so I figured out a way to solve that problem. Check out my post here: How to Make Non-Watery Zoodles. Check back tomorrow for my NEW RECIPE debut. Enjoy!

               

Apple Smoked Chipotle Orange-Lime Salmon - Wild Copper River & Zucchini Parmesan Bake

This evening I prepared Copper River Salmon again (I've been on a binge recently eating for both lunch and dinner). We grilled it on the Weber Jumbo Joe charcoal grill with chunks of apple wood on top of the hot coals. Apple wood produces a more mild flavored smoky flavor than the mesquite chips we've been using. I seasoned the salmon lightly with McCormicks Chipotle & Roasted Garlic seasoning, topped it with pats of Kerrygold butter, and then with alternating slices of orange and lime. I cooked it in a foil pouch left open on top so it would absorb the apple wood smoke flavor. We grilled it for about 12 minutes. It turned out good; the apple wood was much more delicate flavored than the mesquite. I've been eating leftover salmon cold for lunch and I noticed that the smokey flavor intensifies overnight and it's really, really good cold the next day.

For our side dish, I made an easy Zucchini Parmesan Bake. I sauteed diced Vidalia onion, zucchini, and fresh diced baby tomatoes in a skillet and then transferred it to a shallow casserole dish, topped it with Parmesan cheese and ran it under a broiler for about 5 minutes until browned. It was simple, fresh and delicious. I snapped a few photos below as well as included the easy recipe for the Zucchini Parmesan Bake. Enjoy!

Ready for the grill

Zucchini Parmesan Bake

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 Vidalia onion, diced
4 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup diced grape or cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add zucchini and continue cooking, stirring frequently until softened. Stir in diced tomatoes and cook until most of the juices have cooked off.

Transfer mixture to a greased shallow 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Top with Parmesan cheese; broil under a hot broiler for about 5 minutes or until browned.

             

Poached Copper River Salmon w/ Lemon, Butter & White Wine Sauce

This evening I made Copper River Salmon for dinner (yes, again...LOL). I poached it this time and kept it extremely simple. Rather than poach it in the oven or on to stove top, I wrapped it tightly in an aluminum foil pouch with butter, white wine and lemon slices, seasoned only with salt and pepper. I heated the gas grill to 500 degrees and then placed it on top of the gas burner so that the burner was directly underneath the entire length of the fillet and cooked it about 7 minutes (the time would vary depending on the thickness of your fillet). I removed it from the grill and kept the packet tightly closed for another 5 minutes to complete cooking. If you prefer your salmon slightly under cooked, you can serve it immediately. It was tender, moist and delicious and the delicate salmon flavor was the star of the show. I made my Yellow Cheddar Squash Casserole to go alongside the salmon. It was the perfect meal featuring two of my absolute summertime favorites. I snapped a few photos below and included the easy recipe for the poached salmon. Poaching it on the grill keeps the heat and any fish smell outside and leaves your oven available to bake the squash casserole in. To get to the recipe for the squash casserole, click here: Yellow Cheddar Squash Casserole. Enjoy!

#copperriversalmon #knowyourfisherman #copperriverwild #100daysofsalmon #soundsalmon

Poached Copper River Salmon w/ Lemon, Butter & White Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh wild Copper River Salmon fillet
1 large lemon, thinly sliced
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 to 5 pieces
2 tablespoons white wine

Directions:

Preheat gas grill to 500 degrees F (or oven to 450 degrees F). Tear a large sheet of heavy duty foil long enough to extend about 4 inches beyond each end of the fillet

Place a few lemon slices (about 3) in center of foil to go underneath salmon fillet. Place salmon, skin side down, on top of lemon slices in center of foil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with pieces of butter. Crimp ends of foil tightly. Form a packet around sides of fillet. Pour white wine over top of salmon fillet and crimp the packet tightly closed, leaving space around the fillet to allow it to steam as it cooks. Place packet lengthwise along center of grill burner (so it runs the length of the burner). Cover grill and cook approximately 5 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet. Remove packet from grill and allow to continue cooking off the heat for about 5 minutes. Serve with lemon, butter, wine sauce spooned over top.

        

Grilled Mesquite Burgers w/ Bacon Vidalia & Tomato Jam

This evening I made grilled mesquite burgers and my Easy Coleslaw for dinner. We cooked the burgers on the charcoal grill with mesquite wood chips to give them that nice smoky flavor. I seasoned them on one side with McCormicks Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning and then added a splash of Worcestershire sauce to the other side when we flipped them. We cooked them about 5 to 6 minutes per side. What made these burgers extra super duper special and unbelievably delicious was my amazing and easy to make Bacon Vidalia & Tomato Jam. It pushed these burgers over the edge.

I topped the mesquite burgers with sliced spicy Three Alarm Colby Jack Cheese (by Great Midwest) and let it melt a bit, then topped them with a generous dollop of BVT (Bacon Vidalia & Tomato) Jam. It made these burgers crazy good. The jam is so easy to prepare and worth every second that it takes to make it. It has half of a diced Vidalia onion, 6 diced strips of bacon that are cooked until the onions are caramelized and softened and the bacon is cooked. Once the bacon and onions were caramelized and sticky, I tossed in a generous heaped cup of diced multi-colored baby tomatoes (red, yellow, orange, green and dark red) and cooked them down until the liquid and juices had evaporated and it became a thick and rich jam. I stirred in a splash of apple cider vinegar for a little pop. It was absolutely AMAZING on top of the burgers. It's a must try for sure...who needs condiments like ketchup and mustard when you can have BVT Jam instead. I snapped a few photos below and included the easy peasy recipe for the jam. Enjoy!

Bacon Vidalia Tomato Jam

Ingredients:

1/2 Vidalia onion, diced (or other sweet onion)
6 strips bacon, diced
1 to 1-1/4 cups diced fresh grape, cherry or baby tomatoes
1/2 to 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Pinch sea salt, optional

Directions:

In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, add onions and bacon. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until bacon is cooked and onions are caramelized, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and continue cooking until juices have cooked off and mixture is thickened. Stir in apple cider vinegar and salt, if desired.

            

Bacon Vidalia & Tomato Omelet - An Epic Low Carb Sunday Breakfast

Happy Sunday! This morning I woke up in the mood for an epic breakfast to follow last night's epic dinner! I had a bag of Vidalia onions and a bunch of multi-colored baby tomatoes that were calling my name. I decided it was time to make a BVT...as in a Bacon Vidalia Tomato omelet. I sliced up some Vidalia onions and quartered some baby tomatoes and diced 2 strips of bacon. I began by caramelizing the Vidalia onions in a bit of olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Once they began to caramelize (a fancy word for brown), I tossed in the diced bacon and cooked it for a few minutes, then tossed in the baby tomatoes and cooked until everything was caramelized and softened. It's sort of a bacon-Vidalia-tomato jam of sorts. I slid it off to a small saucer, wiped out my skillet and melted a pat of Kerrygold butter, then poured in 2 beaten eggs for my omelet. While they cooked, I diced up a bit of Three Alarm Colby Jack Cheese (by Great Midwest). If you haven't tried this cheese before and you like a bit of heat, this is a must-try cheese. I find it at my local Sam's Club.

The contrast of the sweet bacon-Vidalia-tomato jam paired with the spiciness of the cheese melted into the omelet is unbelievably good. Once the eggs were cooked, I scattered the diced cheese over them, then added my veggie mixture over top and folded the omelet over in half, and slid it onto my plate. I added a couple of Driscoll's organic strawberries and a few local Georgia grown blueberries (by Regenerate) to my plate and sat down to enjoy my "epic breakfast" (after snapping a few photos, of course). It was the best combinations of flavors...salty bacon, sweet caramelized Vidalia onions and tomatoes with melted spicy cheese alongside sweet fresh strawberries and blueberries. I will definitely be making this combination again. I snapped a few photos below. Enjoy!

These were some of the best blueberries I've had - I found them at Kroger