Tag Archives: entree

March 2, 2023 · 2:07 pm

Pizza Stuffed Chicken

All of the delicious flavors of pizza, without all of the bread. This makes a fun alternative to traditional pizza, even for the one child who doesn’t let me fill hers with sausage, pepperoni, or mozzarella cheese. But then- she also doesn’t eat pizza, so at least she likes a basic version of this meal.

To make these chicken rolls, it is important to pound the chicken breast thin between layers of plastic wrap. If you are starting with a large breast, you can either cut it completely in half into two thinner pieces before pounding, or you can butterfly the breast first before pounding.

I like to fill them with pepperoni, cooked sausage, and just a little bit of sauce and cheese. Here are a few process pictures (ignore the skinny little roll on the end without any of the delicious meat inside).

RECIPE:

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under Main Dishes

Tagged as chicken, entree, keto, low carb, main dish, pepperoni, pizza, recipe, sausage

September 22, 2022 · 8:09 am

Seared Thai Basil Tuna Steaks

We have an abundance of Thai basil growing in planters in our back yard. Due to a plethora of rabbits, we have been unsuccessful at growing vegetables, so I have switched to herbs and flowers. Unfortunately, I may need to switch to all herbs next year…

But at least my Thai Basil is going strong, and is not a preferred bunny snack.

I love seared tuna steaks, because they are quick and easy to cook, and if not overcooked, are tender and delicious, without tasting “fishy”. A screaming hot cast iron skillet is the best way to cook them, searing for no more that 1 minute on each side. After searing, I add a small amount of the sauce into the skillet and cook for 15 seconds on each side to give a nice glaze to the fish.

Serve immediately, sliced across the grain, with additional sauce for dipping.

RECIPE: Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Main Dishes

Tagged as 30 minute dinner, Asian, cast iron skillet, entree, fish, keto, main dish, quick and easy, recipe, Thai, Thai basil, tuna steaks

March 30, 2022 · 7:14 am

Skillet Cod in Scallion Lemon Butter Sauce

I love to cook fish in a cast iron skillet. The filets get a nice sear, cook very quickly, and don’t stick. Deglazing the pan with an easy lemon butter sauce makes a quick and delicious meal.

I used fresh lemon thyme from my garden instead of parsley when I made it this time. If I didn’t have fresh thyme, I would have just used the parsley.

RECIPE:

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Low Carb/Keto, Main Dishes

Tagged as cast iron skillet, cod, entree, green onions, keto, lemon, low carb, main dish, one dish, recipe, scallions

March 16, 2022 · 7:21 am

Corned Beef Reuben Casserole with Creamy Russian Dressing

Want to try something a little different for St. Patrick’s Day this year? This low carb casserole has all of the flavors of a classic Reuben sandwich, in a hot delicious main dish casserole.

Layers of cooked cabbage, corned beef, sliced dill pickles, and sauerkraut are covered in melted Swiss cheese, then topped with a creamy Russian dressing. (The pickles are optional, but I love the extra tangy-ness and crunch.)

Bake in a large casserole dish or 9×13” pan for a delicious low carb meal.

Serve hot and drizzle with homemade creamy Russian dressing to serve. I like to kick up the spiciness of the dressing by adding extra Sriracha.

I cook my corned beef in an Instant Pot (70 minutes on high pressure), until tender enough to shred. You can also use leftover cooked corned beef and reduced amounts of the other ingredients to make a smaller sized casserole.

RECIPE:

Continue reading →

Red Beans & Rice with Smoked Sausage

This is an easy-to-make, family friendly recipe. (Unless you are the one of my five children who won’t touch anything that looks like a hot dog or sausage. She just picks around those and eats the rice and beans.) I usually have all of these ingredients on hand, so when I end up at the end of the day and don’t know what to cook, it is easy to pull some smoked sausage out of the freezer and put this together.

You can start with uncooked rice, or use leftover cooked rice to prepare it even faster.

The amounts of spice in the recipe will make a mildly spicy dish. Adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning and tabasco sauce to your family’s spice tolerance.

RECIPE:

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Main Dishes

Tagged as brown rice, Cajun, entree, main dish, recipe, red beans, skillet meals, smoked sausage

January 15, 2022 · 3:00 pm

Mapo Tofu

“Comfort food” means something different to everyone. Our youngest child (soon to leave the nest and graduate into adulthood) has always been our pickiest eater. I gave up long ago on trying to see the logic in what she likes and dislikes. But one thing is consistent: she hates bland food. She wants nothing to do with hot dogs, hamburgers (or any variation like meatballs/meatloaf), pizza, roast chicken/turkey, and ANYTHING in gravy or a tomato-based sauce. But she LOVES most ethnic foods that come packed with flavor and spiciness. She especially loves Mexican and Asian cuisine (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese), with a few un-explainable exceptions.

So to her, comfort foods DO NOT include soups, stews, pot pie, roast beef or chicken, or pretty much any American food. Mapo tofu, however, is one of her very favorite meals. It is packed full of mouth-tingling flavor! And tofu (which is the blandest thing ever, but provides a nice texture in the spicy sauce).

Mapo Tofu (also spelled mabodofu) is a Szechuan dish that we first came to love while living in Japan. It is made with ground pork, tofu, chili paste, onions, garlic, and other Asian seasonings. The best place we have ever eaten it is in a Szechuan restaurant in Beijing; it was so spicy it was hard to swallow, but soooo good. When we moved back to the US, I needed to find a way to make it from scratch.

In addition to other ingredients, I use a few tablespoons of this spicy bean sauce to flavor my mapo tofu. This requires a special trip to an Asian market for me, but that is one of my favorite outings, and the family loves it when I also come home with Aloe drinks, ramune, and senbei snacks.

Part of the flavor of this dish comes from ground Szechuan peppercorns, which are unique because they are not especially spicy (that quality comes from other ground peppers). But they cause a slightly numbing sensation to your tongue when you eat them.