Low carb easy cheesy zucchini bake

 

INGREDIENTS

•  2 medium zucchini, cut in slices or half-moon slices
•  2 medium yellow squash, cut in slices or half-moon slices
•  4 T chopped fresh basil (more or less, depending on how much you like the flavor of basil)
•  2 T thinly sliced green onion
•  1/2 tsp. dried thyme
•  3/4 tsp. garlic powder
•  1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (see notes)
•  1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan, plus a little more for the top if desired
•  salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C.  Spray an 8" x 8" or 8" x 11" baking dish with olive oil or non-stick spray.  (I originally used the small size, but now I prefer a slightly bigger dish.)
2. Wash the squash and cut in slices or half-moon slices.
3. Wash basil, spin dry or dry with paper towels and finely chop or slice. (I used a mini salad spinner (affiliate link) to dry the basil and Herb Scissors (affiliate link) to cut into thin slices.)
4. Slice green onions.
5. Combine the sliced squash, chopped or sliced basil, sliced green onions, dried thyme, garlic powder, 1/2 grated mozzarella and 1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan and stir together until the veggies are coated with cheese and the herbs are well-distributed.  Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
6. Put the mixture in the baking dish and bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes, or slightly longer. (Pierce a piece of zucchini with a fork to be sure it's mostly tender.)
7. When the zucchini is nearly cooked through, take the casserole dish out of the oven and sprinkle over the remaining 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella, plus a little more Parmesan if desired.
8. Put the dish back in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted and nicely browned and zucchini is fully cooked.  Serve hot.
9. This kept well in the fridge overnight, but mine was gone the next day so I don't know if it would last longer than that!

Chicken Fajita salad

 This dressing is AMAZING!

INGREDIENTS

Marinade/Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 100 ml (just over 1/3 cup) freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon red chili flakes, (or red pepper flakes -- adjust to your preference of spice)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt

Salad:

• 4 chicken thigh fillets, skin removed (no bone)
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 1/2 an onion, sliced
• 5 cups Romaine, (or cos) lettuce leaves, washed and dried
• 2 avocados, sliced
• Extra cilantro leaves to garnish
• Sour cream, (optional) to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

• Whisk marinade ingredients together to combine. Pour half the marinade into a shallow dish to marinade the chicken fillets for two hours if time allows. Refrigerate the reserved untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
• Heat about one teaspoon of oil in a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat and grill chicken fillets on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. (Grill in batches to prevent excess water being released.) Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
• Wipe pan over with paper towel; drizzle with another teaspoon of oil and fry pepper and onion strips until cooked to your liking.
• Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with leaves, avocado slices, peppers, onion strips and chicken. Drizzle with remaining marinade/dressing and serve with (optional) extra cilantro leaves and sour cream.

Shepherds Pie

 This is a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes and gravy.

Mix in a deep casserole dish:

1 lb. ground beef, browned

Frozen or canned vegetables of your choice (onions, peas, carrots, corn)

Gravy

Seasonings (salt, pepper, sage, thyme, parsley)

Top mixture with mashed potatoes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, uncovered.

Cafe Rio Style Chicken

From Wendy Hickman

(I doubled this in my crockpot and used the leftovers in cheesy southwestern soup.)

2 lbs chicken breasts

1/2 cup zesty italian dressing

1/2 T minced garlic

1 package of ranch dressing mix

1/4 cup water

1/2 T chili powder

1/2 T cumin

Mix ingredients and pour over chicken.  Cook in crockpot until chicken is fall-apart tender

 (or use pressure cooker - about 30 minutes on poultry setting after adding 1/2 cup chicken broth or water to the bottom of the pan). 

Use juice from crockpot to keep chicken moist.  Serve as taco, burrito, salad, or enchilada.

Cheesy Southwestern Chicken Tortilla Soup

An easy, cheesy soup made on the stovetop. From Mama T.

2-3 chicken breasts—cooked and shredded

15 oz jar salsa con queso

1 can cream of potato soup

1 c sour cream

1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz)

1 can diced green chilies

2 ½ c frozen corn Or 2 cans corn, drained

1 packet taco seasoning

¼ c chopped cilantro

Tostitos scoops chips

In large pot over medium heat add salsa con queso, cream of potato soup, sour cream and broth. WHISK together.

Switch to wooden spoon and add chilies, corn, taco seasoning, chicken and cilantro.

Bring to a simmer and serve or keep on low heat 1-2 hours.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Kalua pork (Abo's recipe)

In gallon ziplock, mix:
3/8 cup soy sauce
3 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 T. rock salt
1 1/2 cloves garlic
Ginger ( I tried 1 tsp ground. Could try more or fresh.)
Few drops of liquid smoke
1 T. brown sugar

Add 5 lbs pork butt, cut into small chunks the size of two fists.
Marinate overnight.

In the morning, dump it all into a crockpot and cook on low for 12 hours.
Shred with forks and serve with rice.

Easy Frosting

This frosting is very yummy! It is also incredibly easy to make!

1 Tbsp. cocoa (only if you want chocolate frosting)

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ c. butter or margarine, softened at room temp. 

1 tsp. milk (only if frosting is too thick)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine cocoa (if doing chocolate frosting) powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter/margarine in a bowl. (Everything except the milk), Cream everything together with an electric hand-mixer, scraping down the sides with a rubber scraper occasionally until smooth and creamy.

2. Add the milk only if the frosting appears too thick. Spread over the warm cake/cupcake/pretty much whatever you want.