Eggroll Bowl

Easy and satisfying, this mixture is low carb and very healthy.  I used ground turkey (7% fat), but have also made this with lean ground pork too. Be sure to customize the recipe to use up veggies you might have on hand.  Don't like mushrooms? Substitute broccoli florets, celery or even diagonal cut pieces of asparagus instead. You don't have to buy the pre-shredded cabbage mixture (usually I would not), but in this case, it was just easy.  You could also add shredded napa cabbage too.  Mung bean sprouts would be delicious too.

We happily ate this when it was snowing outside, the perfect cozy, and healthy, meal!

This meal reminds me a bit of Mo Shu Pork, so it would be great with Hoisin sauce on a thin Chinese pancake.  Just something to think about...

Serves 3-4
Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork (or Turkey or beef)
2 tsp fresh ground ginger
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 green onions
1 cup fresh mushrooms, diced
2 eggs
1 14oz bag of shredded cabbage
Salt and red pepper flakes,  if desired

First, in a well oiled sauce pan (use veg il and a couple drops of ssesame oil) over medium heat, add some well beaten eggs and swirl it about so it covers the large fry pan in a thin layer.  Cook until almost set and turn off heat.

Excuse the yucky looking cutting board below... I had chopped all the mushrooms on it before this egg "roll".

Roll the egg out of the pan into a roll shape, and cut into thin strips. 

In a dutch oven or a bigger saucepan, add the sesame oil and the turkey and cook over medium high heat.  Using a spatula chop up the turkey so that it cooks into small chunks as you cook it.  Add in the chopped ginger and the garlic, cook until the pink in the meat disappears.  Add in the chopped mushrooms and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Add in the soy sauce, cabbage mix and the green onions.  Stir well, finally added the chopped cooked egg. Season with salt (or MSG- hey some people like it!).

Serve with sriracha and more soy sauce, as desired.

If you're not watching carbs, you could serve this over steamed rice.

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Cauliflower Fried Rice

A simple and healthy side dish, or even a main dish, if you like.

I start with raw cauliflower that is grated in the food processor, or by hand. Use the big grater attachment, you want some bigger pieces and not tiny bits.

First, get all your ingredients ready to go ahead of time, do not assemble as you go as you will end up with over cooked fried rice!

Serves about 4

Ingredients

• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup celery, small dice
• 1/2 cup carrots, small dic1/2 cup white onion, diced
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 4 cups fresh cauliflower, grated
• 1/2 cup Ham, small dice (optional)
• 1/2 cup Bacon, diced (optional)
• 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 2-3 Tbsp soy sauce

Other optional items/substitutions

• 1/2 cup broccoli, very small florets
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced small

Over medium high heat in a large non-stick skillet, add the sesame oil, vegetable oil and bacon (if using), use it to saute the celery, carrots and carrots until they start to soften a bit and the bacon is cooked, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and heat until just soft, about another 2-3 minutes. I add the well beaten eggs to the veggies and mix to 'scramble'.  You can make the scrambled eggs big or small by stirring more, it's up to you.  Add the raw cauli rice, the ham (if using) then the green onions and peas.  Stir to "fry" the mixture, and adjust seasoning with soy sauce.  You can add salt and pepper, if desired.

Try not to over cook the cauliflower rice, as it will start to lose moisture and make your fried rice soggy.

You can serve along side some grilled meat or fish, or even a Chinese stir fry.

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Marry Me Chicken (or Pork!)

 I am a skeptic.

Just because someone makes up a name like "Marry Me Chicken", doesn't mean it's that good, you know?  My hubby is a notorious chicken hater, I mean... how is that even a thing? I happen to like chicken, so he does eat it (which is very good for him, LOL). I made this recipe from Pinterest (there are dozens of versions) and did not tell him the name. He was immediately a fan the recipe, so maybe there is something to this name!  This year we celebrate 37 years of marriage, so I guess I didn't need this back in the days before we got engaged. I think this recipe would work well with thin sliced boneless porkchops or pork loin medallions too.

My kitchen is a bit of a mess in the picture below, but it includes my houseplants in old crocks from a salad bar, my French Gien mini Christmas plate that I bought on a holiday trip to France in 2018, and also my favorite cheap white wine, Kirkland/Costco Sauvignon Blanc. The entree is served on my Lenox Winter Greetings Christmas china. I take it out and use it every year from the day after Thanksgiving until New Year's day.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

4 thin chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine (like sauvignon blanc), or chicken stock

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/4-1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

1/2-3/4 cup finely shredded fresh parmesan (i used a microplaner)

2 Tbsp fresh basil, minced

1/4-1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt & Pepper

Salt and Pepper the chicken breasts. In a frying pan (cast iron or stainless will work best), over medium heat, put the chicken on to brown on each side, about 6-8 minutes per side.

While the chicken is cooling, mince your garlic and grate your parmesan.

Chop up the sundried tomatoes

Here's what my chicken looked like when I flipped it.

When the chicken is done (or almost done...) take it out of the pan. Add a bit more olive oil, if needed, and cook up the garlic. 

Deglaze the pan with the white wine (or chicken stock) and adding the sundried tomatoes and the pepper flakes (if using). Cook for a couple more minutes, then add the cream and the cheese.

Stir to combine, then add the cooked chicken and any juices back to the pan.  Continue to cook and stir gently around the chicken breasts. Don't let it boil though!

Almost done... just add the shredded basil and continue heating gently to thicken the sauce and cook the basil slightly. Serve at once. Great with noodles, but nice on it's own with a green salad too.

Spicy Indian Turkey Meatballs

I've been making this recipe for about 6 months, and we are in love.  It's funny because the the inspiration recipe was this one.  The original was a chickpea "meatball" in the sauce, not meat at all. We were at our cabin, and I had limited ingredients, so I made it like this below.

I've made this with combinations of ground turkey, pork or beef and frankly each is very yummy! The sauce is the part that is so flipping delicious.  You could serve it over rice, or cauliflower rice, or even as an appetizer meatball.  You might need some Naan bread to help wipe up every last drop of the sauce. Yum!

A couple of EDITS- 1) Feel free to increase the seasoning if you like it spicier!  2) We ate the leftovers for a late breakfast with a sunnyside up fried egg with a runny yolk. Exceedingly yummy!

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

Meatballs:

20 oz ground turkey (or mixture of pork, turkey or beef)

1 egg

1/4 cup minced cilantro

1 Tbsp minced fresh jalapeno

1 cup chopped spinach (optional)

1/2 Tbsp fresh ground ginger

1 Tbsp minced garlic 

1 tsp salt

Sauce:

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp minced shallots, or onions

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 Tbsp fresh ground ginger

1 Tbsp minced fresh jalapeno

1 can petite minced diced tomatoes

1 can 15 oz tomato sauce

1 cup chopped spinach (optional)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala, or curry powder

Salt to taste

Yogurt or sour cream for serving (optional)

Mince up the spinach, cilantro, jalapeno, ginger and the garlic, divide into half (1/2 for meatballs, half for sauce).

Mix ground meat well with beaten egg, spinach, cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic and salt.  Set aside.

In a large low saute pan, add olive oil, onions, garlic and jalapeno. Saute until they start to soften, add ginger, cumin, turmeric and garam masala (or curry powder).  Stir to "warm" the spices, then add the tomato sauce, and petite diced tomatoes.  Bring to a soft boil, and taste to check seasoning.  Add more spices if you like it spicier, or just salt to taste.  Reduce to medium heat. Roll meat mixture into balls and drop in the simmering mixture (or even use a small cookie/ice cream scoop to drop the meat mixture into the simmering sauce.  Using a spoon, gently nudge each meatball into the sauce.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Right before serving, add the fresh chopped spinach. Serve over rice, over cauliflower rice, or even on it's own.  

You can top with a dollop of yogurt and cilantro, if desired.

Add the egg, the spinach and the seasonings (turmeric, garam masala, salt....XXX)

Mix well. 

Mix half of the ginger, garlic and jalapenos in a saute pan with a bit of olive oil over medium heat until they start to wilt a bit.

Avocado Dressing/Dip

This is my made up recipe for an avocado "green goddess style" dressing.  We were having spicy grilled steaks (using my Cajun spice rub recipe here) and wanted to use up an avocado that I feared was nearing to be over ripe (it wasn't luckily). I thought the dressing would be great to have the spicy grilled steak on a green salad, and it was!  

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

1 large avocado, or 2 small (peeled and pitted)

1/2 bunch  of cilantro, washed and bottom 1/3 of stems removed

Juice of 1 large lime, or 2 small

1/4 cup of mayo

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

1 clove fresh garlic

1 tsp salt

Add all ingredients into a blender, and puree until the dressing is smooth. Store covered tightly in the fridge. The avocado dressing remains bright green for about a week.  

We also used this for a sauce on tacos later in the week. Yum!

Blackened Cajun Spice Mix

A pork chop in the blackened seasoning mix, pan fried in a mixture of olive oil & butter, YUM!

Once upon my husband worked at a restaurant for a certified master chef.  The blackened seasoning that they used on fish, sauteed in butter and served over spinach was the bomb. The guy was nice enough to share this with my hubby. 

We've been looking for the recipe for many years now, but could not locate that slip of paper... basically we've been trying to locate it for about 15-20 years!

After years of wondering, we finally located the recipe in a binder of recipes that I had collected to "save" (back before you had the internet... hahaha!).

Here's the recipe that I adapted the measurements so you can make a SANE size recipe at home.  We've been arguing about whether the original has too much salt (which I believe to be true... and my hubby doesn't agree). 

Makes about 2 cups, plenty to share with friends and family!  We use this on fish, chicken, pork and even steak.  It would probably be great on a cauliflower "steak" too.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup kosher salt (use 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp if you like things salty...)

1/4 cup onion powder or granulated onion (NOT onion salt!)

1/4 cup white pepper

1/4 cup cayenne pepper (if you are afraid of too spicy, you can reduce this to 1-2 Tbsp...)

1/4 cup paprika

1/4 cup dried thyme

2 Tbsp ground pepper

Mix in a bowl with a whisk to fully mix.  Save in an air tight jar, or jars.  Sprinkle liberally onto meats before grilling or pan frying.  

Easy Weeknight Meaty Chili

I got this recipe from a friend who sells Pampered Chef, and immediately thought, YEP, I need to try that. I didn't have their awesome RockCrok to use for their recipe (link here) but I thought I would try it on the stove top and it worked beautifully. I had both ground pork and ground beef, so I decided to use a combination, but you definitely try all beef if you preferred!  

Don't be worried about the unsweetened coca powder in this recipe, it really gives a complexity and smoothness to the chili.  If you're worried, you could cut the qty in half, but honestly, I think you'll like it.  My hubby wants me to make it again using less cocoa powder and more chili powder, which I promised to do next time. 

We're eating more low carb, so i elected to make this without the canned beans, but it would be good either waya. 

Makes enough for 6-8

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1  medium onion, chopped

1 lb lean ground beef

1 lb ground pork 

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

4 Tbsp chili powder

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tsp cumin

½  can (3 oz/ tomato paste

2- 10oz cans of Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies, undrained

1 1/4 cup water

2 Knorr Chipotle bouillon cubes, or one minced canned chipotle chili (optional)

1-2 cans (16 oz  each) mild chili beans in sauce, undrained (optional, I did not use)

Salt, to taste

Saute the onions in olive oil until they start to soften, add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Add the ground beef and pork, and cook over medium high heat while stirring. Make sure to leave some big chunks that will add to the texture of your chili. Add in the spices, the canned tomatoes and tomato paste, adding the water at the end.  Give it a stir to combine, and turn the heat to medium low heat. 

Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.  

Add the canned beans (optional) and bring back to a boil. You can serve it over rice, if desired, or just a big bowl of rich chili!

Serve with Sliced green onion, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, jalapeno slices 

(optional)

Pork Kimchi Burger

I get that kimchi might not be everybody's favorite thing, but I always, always have been a fan, even back before it was cool! Thanks Mom for being different from every other suburban housewife in the 1970's! 

The inspiration for this came out of necessity, we were staying somewhere in a cabin far from home, and I had packed limited ingredients to use for the weekend to put dinner together for the two of us. I always love a challenge!  I had a package of ground pork that I had brought with us, but only had limited other things to work with (I should have planned better- LOL). In full disclosure, we did travel to the Safeway to pick up some kimchi after I shared my idea with my hubby (who insisted we go get it ASAP), but I used what I already had brought with me (hence the simple ingredients!) for the rest.

About two years ago, we were lucky enough to go to Korea, and boy oh boy, did we have a foodie's paradise adventure.  My hubby likes kimchi just as much as I do.  If you are interested, here's a couple travel posts that I wrote to remember the trip!
Korean Adventure, Part 1

Korean Adventure, Part 2- coming soon!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Burgers:

20 oz ground pork
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup kimchi, drained (save juice) and chopped fine
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

Kimchi Coleslaw:
4 cups green cabbage, shredded (about 1/2 small head)
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup kimchi, drained and chopped coarsely (or more, if desired- I used 1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2-3 Tbsp kimchi juice 
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp red pepper garlic paste (optional)

4 Buns

Mayo, if desired

Get two bowls out, one for meat mixture and one for your salad.

Chop your green onions finely, add 1/4 cup to each bowl.  Next, chop your kimchi, adding 1/4 cup to each bowl. Shred your cabbage (or use pre-packaged slaw cabbage mixture), add to the salad bowl. Add the vinegar, sesame oil and a bit of salt. Mix the slaw, let it sit and marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

In the meat bowl, add the ground pork to the bowl with green onions and kimchi that you put in there previously. Add in the pork, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and soy sauce. Make mixture of meat (I use latex gloves and mix by hand), shape into patties and grill for about 10 minutes until done.

Assemble the burgers by putting mayo on the buns, add the patty and a generous amount of slaw. Enjoy right away.

Buns, mayo, patties and slaw= Yum

Note- these are just as good served with a side of coleslaw and not on a bun. We found some Franz low carb buns that are delish, so it was great to have a burger!  

Here's the kimchi, ready for chopping.

Chop it pretty finely

Here it is ready for mixing with the cabbage.

I use latex gloves to mix the meat mixture, and shape the patties.

This is the chili garlic sauce I like

Here's my salad, all ready to go. Let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes before serving so the cabbage softens up a little bit.

Patties are all shaped and ready to go on the grill. I put them on wax paper, as it makes it easier to easily over turn onto the grill without deforming the patties by using a metal spatula.  Just my little trick.

Cook over medium high heat for about 10 minutes.  Try not to over cook, you want these to be juicy!

Spicy Jambalaya Stew- Keto Friendly

Opportunity presents itself in different ways.
I found a pack of very spicy hot link sausages in the fridge. Where did these come from? LOL, I know my hubby cannot walk by a Hot Link at the grocery store when does the shopping (I love that about him), but he did complain that these were extra spicy. OK, challenge on... what to do with these?

I had a look in the freezer... chicken breasts, frozen cooked shrimp and mahi mahi.
OK everyone, dinner is in the house! I am now official inspired.

We were quite happy with the end result of this throw together meal. Brown the chicken, brown the fish, saute the onions/peppers, add the sausage and tomatoes. Add some seasoning and heat up.  Viola!  Dinner is served.
We're reducing carbs, so we ate it as a stew, but it would be wonderful over rice too.

Serves 4
Ingredients

2-3 Tbsp olive oil 1 chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
1 8 oz mahi mahi, or other firm fish, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced

1 tsp garlic, chopped
8 oz prawns, cleaned (cooked or uncooked)
1 hot link, sliced
1 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes 
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste

Over medium high heat, add some olive oil and brown the chicken, removing it to another plate while you brown the fish. Remove the fish to the plate with the chicken. In the same pan, saute the onions, bell pepper and garlic. When they are starting to soften and just starting to brown on the edges, add the sliced hot link and continue to cook until the hot link gets a little color/crispness.  Add the petite diced tomatoes, reserved chicken and mahi mahi (plus accumulated juices), seasoning and the frozen or fresh cleaned prawns.  Bring gently to a boil, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once.

We ate this for lunch the following day and we were thrilled with how good it was after reheating.

Stuffed Cabbage Bowl

We both agree, how can this be comfort food if you never even had it as a kid?

I can't actually say I really even like Stuffed Cabbage, but I do love this!I  know lots of people remember their mom's stuff cabbage rolls for dinner.... I assure you, my mom made many, many amazing dishes in my childhood, but I never specifically remember her making these. My husband's mom was definitely more challenged in the kitchen, so she never made something exotic as stuffed cabbage rolls! I seem to remember making them once, decades ago, and I thought they were fussy and not that great. So, in other words, a recipe NOT to be repeated.

We're trying to reduce how many carbs we eat, so when I saw this recipe it really intrigued me. We were both instantly in love with this.  A couple months went by, but I remembered we liked this, so I bought the ingredients again to see if it was a fluke, or did we really like this?  Guess what? We so LOVE this! 

Easy, fast, comforting and cheap.  Something to enjoy in this uncertain times of a pandemic. Let's call this one a dinner hug.

Serves 4-6 (makes great leftovers)
Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 to 1 cup diced red bell pepper (optional)
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef, low fat
4-6 cups shredded cabbage
1 can diced tomatoes plus juices
1 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt & Pepper

Chop the onions and pepper into a dice, saute over medium high heat in a large saute pot or dutch oven, for about five minutes. Add the pork and the beef and cook breaking into medium size chunks while it cooks. Add the Italian seasoning and the garlic, plus some generous salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (as desired).  Add the canned tomatoes and the shredded cabbage.  Cook until the cabbage starts to wilt, about 3-5 minutes.
Serve in a low bowl as the meat/veggie mixture, or over steamed rice.

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