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Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

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sweet-and-sour-red-cabbage-1

This sweet and sour red cabbage is a very easy and versatile side dish. I feel like I always run across recipes that call for just a little bit of red cabbage, like lo mein, and then I’m stuck wondering what to do with the rest. So, this is perfect for us!

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage
 
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Crunchy red cabbage in a sweet and tangy glaze. Perfect weeknight side dish!
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 small red cabbage or ½ large red cabbage, chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar (I use brown sugar Splenda)
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • Salt and Pepper (approximately 1 tsp of each)
Instructions
  1. Chop the cabbage into large chunks and set out the remaining ingredients.
  2. Toss everything into a nonstick skillet, including the salt and pepper.
  3. Cover and cook on medium high heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 131 Fat: 5.9 Saturated fat: 3.7 Carbohydrates: 16.4 Sugar: 11.7 Sodium: 73 Fiber: 4.5 Protein: 2.3 Cholesterol: 15

 

Gather up:

  • 1 small red cabbage or ½ large red cabbage, chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar (I use brown sugar Splenda)
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • Salt and Pepper (approximately 1 tsp of each)

Chop the cabbage into large chunks and set out the remaining ingredients.

sweet-and-sour-red-cabbage-2

Toss everything into a nonstick skillet, including the salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on medium high heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I like to serve this with thin-cut pork chops seasoned with Old Bay. It would go well with any grilled meat, but I wouldn’t pair it with something that has a sauce.

sweet-and-sour-red-cabbage-3

Super Speedy Katsu Curry

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katsu-curry-final-1

I grew up eating a lot of Indian and Caribbean curries, so I was really excited when someone introduced me to Japanese curry. It’s thicker than what I am used to and I like to make it slightly sweet. Usually, I just cut up some chicken, brown it in oil, add curry cubes and water, simmer for 20 minutes and eat, but today I wanted to try something different – Katsu Curry. Katsu Curry is breaded and fried pork cutlets served with curry sauce, vegetables and rice. The crispy, crunchy pork pairs well with the velvety curry sauce. I add applesauce to the curry to keep the rich texture and add a bit of earthy sweetness.

My husband uses his fork to drag pieces of meat through the sauce and then eats the leftover sauce and veggies with the rice. It’s the perfect dinner when the weather starts getting cold and you want warm, comforting food but don’t want to be in the kitchen all night. The whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes. If you have kids, you can let them dip the crispy pork in ketchup or duck sauce and save the curry for the adults.

Super Speedy Katsu Curry
 
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Crispy fried pork cutlets with hot Japanese curry and vegetables. Unusual addition of applesauce gives the curry a slight sweetness!
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless pork loin chops
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup flour (either all-purpose or self-rising is fine)
  • 1 cup panko
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ½ onion, sliced
  • 4 curry cubes (I use 2 hot and 2 mild)
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • ¼ cup apple sauce
  • 32 oz chicken broth
  • 1 14.5 oz can of whole peeled potatoes, drained and halved
  • 1 8.25 oz can of sliced carrots, drained
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup oil
Instructions
  1. Use the back of a large knife to tenderize the meat.
  2. Dredge each piece of meat in the flour, then the eggs, and then the panko. Set side in the fridge.
  3. In a large nonstick skillet, add butter, onion, curry cubes, minced garlic, minced ginger and apple sauce.
  4. Sauté on medium heat for about 2 minutes, just until the butter and curry cubes have started to melt.
  5. Add chicken broth and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Add potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes, until vegetables are warmed through.
  7. Add oil to a shallow nonstick skillet and fry the breaded pork chops for 3 minutes on each side.
  8. Slice pork and serve with curry sauce and rice.
Notes
I am not including nutrition information for this recipe because it is difficult to accurately calculate how much of the dredging ingredients end up in the final dish.

Gather up:

  • 4 boneless pork loin chops
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup flour (either all-purpose or self-rising is fine)
  • 1 cup panko
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 4 curry cubes (I use 2 hot and 2 mild)
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • 1/4 cup apple sauce
  • 32 oz chicken broth
  • 1 14.5 oz can of whole peeled potatoes, drained and halved
  • 1 8.25 oz can of sliced carrots, drained
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup oil

The first thing you want to do is use the back of a large knife to tenderize the meat. I just bash it from every direction on both sides.

katsu-curry-1

Then, dredge each piece of meat in the flour…

katsu-curry-2

Then the egg…

katsu-curry-3

And finally the panko.

katsu-curry-4

If you’ve never bought Panko before, it is usually in the ethnic aisle of the grocery store and this is what it looks like:

katsu-curry-5

Once all the pork pieces have been coated, set them aside in the fridge until we are ready to fry them.

In a large nonstick skillet, add butter, onion, curry cubes, minced garlic, minced ginger and apple sauce.

katsu-curry-6

The japanese curry will also be in the ethnic aisle. This is what the boxes look like:

katsu-curry-7

When you open them, the curry comes in a long, soft bar – almost like a big chocolate bar. Look at the underside of the bar to see the markings for where to break off each cube. I like to use 2 hot cubes and 2 mild cubes, but any combination of 4 cubes will work fine.

Sauté on medium heat for about 2 minutes, just until the butter and curry cubes have started to melt.

Pour in the chicken broth and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

katsu-curry-8

Add potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes, until vegetables are warmed through. The reason I use canned vegetables in this is not just because I’m lazy and dont want to wait for them to cook, but also because I don’t want the potatoes and carrots to have an opportunity to start to break down into the curry and change its texture.

katsu-curry-9

Add oil to a shallow nonstick skillet and fry the breaded pork chops for 3 minutes on each side. You can fry more than one at a time as long as the pieces are at least an inch away from each other so they can properly fry and not start to steam.

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Slice pork and serve with curry sauce and rice. This is excellent with an ice-cold beer or non-alcoholic ginger beer!

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Thanks so much for hanging in there with me and continuing to visit my site and share my recipes while my attention has been focused on this little lady:

tummy-time-on-fur

I appreciate ya!

3 Ingredient Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup

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3 Ingredient Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup

This recipe has been around for a long time in various forms. Once you get the general concept down, it’s really easy to swap out ingredients to better suit your tastes. My absolute favorite tomato-based soup is the vegetable soup at Medieval Times. It’s packed with vegetables and so flavorful, but everything is finely diced so that you can sip it instead of needing a spoon. (Eating utensils are not allowed at Medieval Times!) Well, I am absolutely never in the mood to finely dice a bunch of vegetables, so I hesitated to try to replicate the soup… until I heard of this recipe. What do we frequently buy that has tons of chopped veggies and is loaded with flavor?? Salsa! Add some chicken broth and a bit of simmering on the stove and you have a lovely bowl of warm vegetable soup. I add plenty of butter and sort of sauté the salsa first to make sure the veggies are nice and soft. Butter enhances the tomato flavor and gives the soup a great mouth feel. I’ll show you the steps for this 3 Ingredient Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup and then chat a bit more about what else you can do with this recipe.

5.0 from 1 reviews
3 Ingredient Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup
 
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Warm and hearty tomato vegetable soup, using just 3 everyday ingredients.
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 16oz Salsa
  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 32oz. Chicken Broth
Instructions
  1. Pour the salsa in a medium saucepan and drop in the butter.
  2. Simmer on medium high heat for approximately 5 minutes, until the onions are starting to get translucent.
  3. Pour in the chicken broth and turn the heat to medium.
  4. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, until butter is melted and soup is nice and hot.
  5. Taste the soup and, if necessary, season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 169 Fat: 13 Saturated fat: 8 Carbohydrates: 8 Sugar: 4 Sodium: 1483 Fiber: 2 Protein: 7 Cholesterol: 31

Gather up:

  • 16oz. Salsa
  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 32oz. Chicken Broth

3 Ingredient Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup

I use Herdez salsa, which is all natural. If you want to chop your own veggies, just spin around your salsa jar to the ingredients list to see what you need to replicate it.

3 Ingredient Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup

Pour the salsa in a medium saucepan and drop in the butter.

3 Ingredient Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup

Simmer on medium high heat for approximately 5 minutes, until the onions are starting to get translucent.

Pour in the chicken broth and turn the heat to medium.

3 Ingredient Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup

Cook for approximately 5 minutes, until butter is melted and soup is nice and hot.

Taste the soup and, if necessary, season with salt and pepper.

I ate this alone, but served it for my husband with some cheese quesadillas using low carb tortillas.

3 Ingredient Hearty Tomato Vegetable Soup

The easiest things to start experimenting with here are the spice level and the texture. If you prefer a spicy soup, use an extra hot salsa with lots of jalapenos in it. If you like very chunky soup, use an extra chunky salsa. You could make this vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Here are some other ideas:

  • Use Salsa Verde instead of regular salsa for a lighter, tomatillo soup
  • Add shredded chicken, frozen meatballs or canned potatoes to give the soup more heft
  • Top with cubes of fresh avocado (I was not fond of the idea of warm avocado until I was served an avocado omelet once. Ohhhh, you have to try warm avocado at least once in your life! Sooo good in an unexpected way!)
  • Swap out the plain butter for a savory, flavored butter like garlic butter or miso butter
  • Add 1 ½ cups of rice and cook on low for an additional 15-20 minutes to end up with a seasoned Mexican rice side dish
  • Forget about eating it as soup altogether and use it as a nice braising liquid for short ribs or oxtails

The weather is cooling down here in Charleston and I am really grateful to have a simple, quick soup recipe that I really enjoy!

26 Days of Eating Keto (and Why I Had to Stop)

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30 days corrected

Waaay back around the time of my last blog post, I thought it might be helpful to post pictures of what I ate for 30 days doing a lazy version of keto (meaning not adhering to strict macros and just generally trying to keep fats high and carbs low). I put a little bit of a plan together, trying to keep my budget down, and set off documenting. For the most part, I ate breakfast and dinner and skipped lunch. If I snacked on anything, it was usually ham and cream cheese rolls or almonds or string cheese. While I was aiming for a 30-day diary, this turned into 26 days of eating keto, as I’ll explain below!

Day 1
B: American Cheese Omelette with extra heavy cream, Sausage
D: Chile Lime Chicken Wings with Ranch dressing
1b omelette and sausage 1d chile lime chicken wings

Day 2
B: Scrambled Eggs with extra heavy cream, Sausage
D: Ribeye Steak, Asparagus and Hollandaise Sauce
2b scrambled eggs sausage 2d steak asapragus hollandaise

Day 3
B: Brie Omelette with extra heavy cream, sausage
D: Curry Chicken and Sauteed Cauliflower Rice with Onion, Peas and Butter
3b brie omelette sausage 3d curry chicken cauli rice

Day 4
B: Japanese Rolled Omelette, Bacon, Pesto Chicken Sausage
D: Leftovers
4b japanese omelette bacon chicken sausage

Day 5
B: Bulletproof Coffee
D: Grilled Sausages (Spicy Italian Vino and Formaggio Chicken Sausage; Garden Vegetable Mushroom and Asiago Chicken Sausage, both from Trader Joe’s)
5b bulletproof coffee 5d Grilled sausage

Day 6
B: Fried Cube Steak, Fried Egg, Country Gravy
D: Grilled Lamb with Tzatziki Sauce
6b cube steak sausage gravy and fried egg 6d lamb with sauce

Day 7
B: Scrambled eggs with heavy cream and butter, sausage
D: Cucumber-rolled sushi without rice from Bambu Sushi
7b eggs sausage 7d cucumber sushi

Day 8
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche with Bacon
D: Old Bay Wings
8b broccoli quiche with bacon 8d old bay wings

Day 9
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche (I made a large portion and ate this for a full week)
D: Ranch Salad from McDonalds
9b broccoli quiche 9d ranch salad

Day 10
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: McDonalds Bacon Clubhouse Burger (without the bun)
10d mcdonalds bunless

Day 11
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Leftovers (lamb, sausage and wings)
11d leftovers

Day 12
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Buffalo Chicken Salad (shredded chicken thighs, franks buffalo sauce, mayo, chopped celery, shredded carrots)
12d buffalo chicken salad

Day 13
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Pan-fried ham steak (seasoned with cloves, cinnamon, oregano and nutmeg) with buttery grean beans
13d ham green beans

Day 14
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Spicy Shrimp (just a few, supplemented by Baby Dill Pickles and Ham & Cream Cheese Roll-ups)
14d spicy shrimp

Day 15
B: Deconstructed Quiche (saute of broccoli and sausage, scrambled egg, slice of cheese on top)
D: Thai Sticky Chicken Thighs
15b deconstructed quiche closeup thai sticky chicken thighs

Day 16
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Montreal Steak & Asparagus
quiche montreal steak and asparagus

Day 17
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Leftover Steak & Asparagus, Hollandaise Sauce, and Leftover Spicy Shrimp
steak asparagus shrimp hollandaise

Day 18
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Beef Sliders with Melted Mini Brie Cheese
sliders with brie

Day 19
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Buffalo Wings
buffalo wings

Day 20
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Baked Chicken, Gravy, Peas, Mexican Cauliflower Rice
chicken gravy caulirice peas

Day 21
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Jerk Pork Tenderloin
jerk pork tenderloin

Day 22
B: Broccoli, Sausage and Onion Quiche
D: Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
turkey meatballs in tomato sauce

Day 23
B: Bacon
D: Baby Bella Mushrooms Stuffed with Boursin Cheese and Sauteed with Bacon
bacon boursin mushrooms with bacon

Day 24
B: Scrambled Eggs with Chives, Chopped Jalapenos, and Sausage Links
D: Leftovers (pork, meatballs, mushrooms)
eggs jalapenos chives sausage leftover pork meatballs mushrooms

Day 25
B: Scrambled Eggs
D: Grilled Salmon, Spinach Salad with Greek Dressing, Bacon, Tomato Slices with Fresh Black Pepper
salmon tomatoes bacon spinach salad

Day 26
B: Bacon
D: Pork Chops, Fig Sauce, Steamed Broccoli and Salad
pork fig sauce broccoli salad

 

Right around this time, I found myself getting super exhausted after the slightest task and occassionally pulling over to the side of the road to throw up. Yep!

pregnant

I took about 15 more of these things! Ha! I’ve been lucky so far in that I only had those initial few weeks of morning sickness and my only other symptom has just been getting very tired really easily. The other thing that’s been happening is that I’m having a rough time eating eggs and meat, which knocks out virtually all of the menu above! I’ve never really been a sweets person. If I eat anything with sugar, it’s likely to be in the form of pasta or bread rather than candy. So you can imagine my surprise when I peeled into the nearest gas station on my way home from work and came out with this!

candy haul

I’ve been up to my eyeballs in sweets for weeks now! Luckily, it hasn’t had any effect on my weight or any of my lab work!

Now that I’m in my second trimester, I feel my energy slowly coming back (I can stay awake until 9pm now instead of 7pm… woo hoo!!!), I’m doing a little Zumba and my regular eating habits are slowly making an appearance. I’m not against eating low carb while pregnant (this website is an amazing resource) and I hope to return to it soon. I’ve missed crafting recipes and doing my little photo shoots and I’m hopeful I’ll be able to pick up where I left off soon 🙂

Grilled Lamb Chops

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I’ve been super busy lately taking a technical writing course online. My husband has been a lifesaver when it comes to dinner! He’ll grill absolutely anything anytime! I picked up a frenched lamb rack from Trader Joe’s, seasoned it up and he tossed it on the grill. Dinner was ready in minutes!

Grilled Lamb Chops

5.0 from 1 reviews
Grilled Lamb Chops
 
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Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • Rack of lamb, cut into chops
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Dried Crushed Rosemary
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme
Instructions
  1. Marinate the lamb and remaining ingredients for a minimum of 10 minutes.
  2. Grill on high, direct heat for approximately 10 minutes, turning frequently so that all sides are seared. The lamb's internal temperature should be 135 degrees.
  3. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

 

Gather together:

  • Rack of lamb, cut into chops
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Dried Crushed Rosemary
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme

Marinate the lamb and remaining ingredients for a minimum of 10 minutes. You can also do this the night before. Another trick I learned is to season all my meat as soon as I get home from the grocery store and pop it in ziploc bags in the freezer. The night before, I just take out a bag to defrost. The seasoning really gets into the meat when it freezes and defrosts and I also dont have to worry about waiting to marinate anything.

Grilled Lamb Chops

Grill on high, direct heat for approximately 10 minutes, turning frequently so that all sides are seared.

Grilled Lamb Chops

The lamb’s internal temperature should be 135 degrees.

Grilled Lamb Chops

Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Grilled Lamb Chops

We served it with some tzatziki sauce. Scrumptious!

Grilled Lamb Chops

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

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Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

I first saw this recipe on KetoKarma’s youtube channel. If you aren’t already subscribed to her channel, definitely check it out for some really good recipe ideas. I didn’t realize Carrabas has a similar chicken dish called Chicken Bryan. I like the sound of “Tuscan Chicken” better, lol. I swapped around some things in the ingredients and cooking process to suit my tastes and it came out beautifully.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles
 
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Balsamic rosemary grilled chicken breasts, topped with medallions of goat cheese and drenched in buttery sun-dried tomato sauce. Serve with zoodles for an awesome spin on Chicken Bryan.
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • ½ tbsp crushed rosemary
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large zucchini or 2 small zucchini
  • 1 stick of butter, chopped into tablespoon pieces
  • 1 large shallot, sliced into rings
  • ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, diced
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 cups white wine
  • ½ oz fresh basil, chopped into thin strips
  • 4 oz goat cheese, divided into 1-oz pieces
Instructions
  1. Score the smooth side of each chicken breast with 3 cuts along the thickest part of the breast, halfway down the meat in depth.
  2. Place the chicken in a bag or bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed rosemary, lemon zest and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper.
  3. Mix and marinate the chicken for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  4. Cut the zucchini into noodles.
  5. Chop the butter into tablespoons and keep it in the fridge.
  6. In a large skillet, combine the shallot, sun-dried tomatoes and about a tablespoon of the oil the tomatoes are packed in.
  7. Sauté the tomato mixture on medium high heat until shallot is almost translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
  8. Add lemon juice and wine to tomato mixture and reduce the liquid by about a third, approximately 2 minutes.
  9. Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Do not add another tablespoon until the previous one has melted. This should take approximately 8 minutes.
  10. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  11. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil in a grill pan and heat it on high heat.
  12. Once the pan is screaming hot, place the chicken breasts in it scored-side down.
  13. Cook until nicely browned, approximately 5 minutes, and then flip over.
  14. Reduce heat to medium high and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  15. Turn off the stove and add 1 ounce slices of goat cheese to the top of each piece of chicken. Let stand in the pan for an additional 3 minutes. The goat cheese will melt slightly.
  16. Serve each piece of chicken with a handful of zoodles and some of the sun-dried tomato sauce drizzled over the top of both.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 740 Fat: 45 Saturated fat: 25 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 9 Sugar: 3 Sodium: 421 Fiber: 2 Protein: 53 Cholesterol: 220

 

You’ll need:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • ½ tbsp crushed rosemary
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large zucchini or 2 small zucchini
  • 1 stick of butter, chopped into tablespoon pieces
  • 1 large shallot, sliced into rings
  • ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, diced
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 cups white wine
  • ½ oz fresh basil, chopped into thin strips
  • 4 oz goat cheese, divided into 1-oz pieces

 

The first thing you want to do is score the smooth side of each chicken breast. You do this by making 3 cuts across the thickest part of the breast, going about halfway down into the meat. I do this because it will help the chicken cook faster and also because I want the marinade to quickly penetrate the meat.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Next, place the chicken in a bag or bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed rosemary, lemon zest and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix it around so that all of the seasoning gets into and all over the chicken meat. We’re using the zest here so that the lemon flavor penetrates the meat, instead of the tartness of lemon juice.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

While that’s happening, I break out my spiralizer. This is a spiralizer:

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

You chop the top and end off your zucchini, place it between the gripping blades, and crank the handle to roll it through the blade at the front.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can use one of these handy gadgets: Spiral Slicer or Julienne Peeler.

Right about now is when you should cut your butter into tablespoon-size chunks and put it in the fridge. We want it to be ice cold when we are ready to use it later.

In a large skillet, combine the shallot, sun-dried tomatoes and about a tablespoon of the oil the tomatoes are packed in. I love doing this for recipes that call for sun-dried tomatoes because I get more flavor without having to eat more tomatoes.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Sauté the tomato mixture on medium high heat until shallot is almost translucent, approximately 5 minutes.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Add lemon juice and wine to tomato mixture and reduce the liquid by about a third, approximately 2 minutes.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Do not add another tablespoon until the previous one has melted. This should take approximately 8 minutes.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Pour a tablespoon of olive oil in a grill pan and heat it on high heat.

Once the pan is screaming hot, place the chicken breasts in it scored-side down. Cook until nicely browned, approximately 5 minutes, and then flip over.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Reduce heat to medium high and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

KetoKarma introduced me to these wonderful goat cheese medallions at Trader Joe’s. Each of them is one ounce, so we will be using 4 of them. If you can’t find the medallions, just cut a 4-oz log of goat cheese into 4 equal slices.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Turn off the stove and add goat cheese to the top of each piece of chicken. Let stand in the pan for an additional 3 minutes. The goat cheese will melt slightly.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Serve each piece of chicken with a handful of zoodles and some of the sun-dried tomato sauce drizzled over the top of both.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

The zoodles will warm up slightly from sitting in the warm sauce, but still retain a really nice crunch that contrasts perfectly with the creamy cheese and juicy chicken.

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Look at the way the silky sauce easily coats the zucchini noodles. What a perfect bite!

Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles

Quick Relief Chicken Soup

By 9 Comments

quick relief chicken soup

A couple of weeks ago, I was incredibly sick. My throat felt like sandpaper and I could barely breathe out of my nose. I despise being sick and I was desperate for some relief. This soup was awesome. The butter, egg and cheese make sure this coats your whole mouth and throat. The cream helps fill you up when it’s impossible to keep heavier foods down. Alternate between bowls of this and whiskey with honey and lemon and you will be back on your feet in no time!

5.0 from 2 reviews
Quick Relief Chicken Soup
 
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Creamy, silky chicken soup loaded with flavor and perfect for soothing a scratchy throat.
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 1 ½ lbs shredded chicken
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes with juice
  • 32 oz chicken stock
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Dried basil
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Sauté the garlic and onion in butter on medium heat until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
  2. Add the cooked chicken, heavy cream and tomatoes to the pot and let simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the stock and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.
  4. Combine the egg and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
  5. Remove the soup from the stove and wait 5 minutes. If the soup is too hot, you will end up with scrambled eggs in your soup when attempt the next step. So, wait for it to cool down a bit.
  6. Slowly drizzle in the egg mixture while stirring the soup.
  7. Season to taste with salt, pepper and dried basil.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 636 Fat: 43 Saturated fat: 24 Carbohydrates: 8 Sugar: 4 Sodium: 1077 Fiber: 2 Protein: 56 Cholesterol: 279

Gather up:

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 1 ½ lbs shredded chicken
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes with juice
  • 32 oz chicken stock
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Dried basil
  • Salt and pepper

Set out all of your ingredients.

quick relief chicken soup

Sauté the garlic and onion in butter on medium heat until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.

quick relief chicken soup

Add the cooked chicken, heavy cream and tomatoes to the pot and let simmer for 5 minutes. You want to marry all the flavors in the pot for a little bit before you dilute the mixture with stock.

quick relief chicken soup

Add the stock and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.

quick relief chicken soup

Combine the egg and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.

Remove the soup from the stove and wait 5 minutes. If the soup is too hot, you will end up with scrambled eggs in your soup when attempt the next step. So, wait for it to cool down a bit.

Slowly drizzle in the egg mixture while stirring the soup. I learned this from Giada’s Italian Wedding Soup recipe. It adds a nice thickness to any soup.

quick relief chicken soup

Season to taste with salt, pepper and dried basil.

quick relief chicken soup

Pastrami Kimchi Scramble

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Pastrami Kimchi Scramble

We love going to a local deli for breakfast. They have an amazing reuben omelet and I thought it might be interesting to swap out the typical sauerkraut with kimchi.

This is what kimchi looks like:

Kimchi

It is fermented cabbage and you can find it in the fresh produce section of your supermarket. The second interesting thing about this recipe is the technique. I don’t really care for scrambles that look like a big goopy mess on the plate with a thin layer of egg just sort of covering everything. So I cooked this in a manner that let the eggs set up on the bottom of the skillet and the pastrami and cabbage heat through, before scrambling it all up. It makes for such a pretty scramble!

Pastrami Kimchi Scramble
 
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An easy, fun breakfast scramble with all the flavors of a rueben sandwich but with a kimchi twist!
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
  • 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • ¼ lb sliced pastrami
  • ¼ cup kimchi (or sauerkraut)
  • 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, mix the eggs, mustard and heavy cream.
  2. Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet on medium heat.
  3. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet.
  4. Top with torn pieces of pastrami and kimchi.
  5. Cover and let cook for approximately 5 minutes, until the pastrami and kimchi are warm to the touch and the eggs are set.
  6. Using a spatula, scramble the mixture together.
  7. Serve.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 344 Fat: 26 Saturated fat: 13 Carbohydrates: 2 Sugar: 1 Sodium: 940 Protein: 24 Cholesterol: 407

 

Gather up:

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
  • 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • ¼ lb sliced pastrami
  • ¼ cup kimchi (or sauerkraut)
  • 2 tbsp butter

 

Set out your ingredients because this cooks in almost no time.

Pastrami Kimchi Scramble

In a small bowl, mix the eggs, mustard and heavy cream.

Pastrami Kimchi Scramble

Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet on medium heat.

Pour the egg mixture into the skillet.

Pastrami Kimchi Scramble

Top with torn pieces of pastrami and kimchi.

Pastrami Kimchi Scramble

Cover and let cook for approximately 5 minutes, until the pastrami and kimchi are warm to the touch and the eggs are set.

Using a spatula, scramble the mixture together.

Pastrami Kimchi Scramble

Serve.

Pastrami Kimchi Scramble

I like to eat this with a buttered slice of Trader Joe’s Sprouted Grain Bread. Here’s what it looks like.

trader joes sprouted grain bread

You can see from the nutrition label that a single piece only has 4 net carbs.

trader joes sprouted grain bread nutrition

We also love to eat it with a thick schmear of Keto Smoked Salmon Spread.

Summer Pork Chops

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Summer Pork Chops

I saw a version of this on a Publix Apron recipe card. Does anyone else look at those cards for recipe ideas? They’re a really good resource. The recipe called for thick boneless chops and teriyaki sauce. I wasn’t in the mood for such a heavy Asian flavor, so I used ponzu sauce instead. Using thin-cut chops meant I was barely at the stove. Toss it on a plate with some salad and you have the perfect summer lunch.

Summer Pork Chops
 
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Bright and tangy pork chops marinated in beer and spices and quickly grilled for an easy, flavorful summer lunch.
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ lbs thin-cut pork chops (on the bone)
  • ¼ cup ponzu sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar splenda
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste
  • ½ 12oz. bottle of lager beer (6 oz.)
Instructions
  1. Poke the pork chops all over with a fork and let marinate with the remaining ingredients in a Ziploc bag for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Discard the marinade.
  3. Heat a grill pan on high and spray with nonstick spray.
  4. Cook each pork chop for 1 minute per side.
  5. Remove to a plate to rest.
  6. Serve with a fresh salad.
Notes
Nutrition information includes the entire amount of the marinade, even though the marinade is not consumed in the final dish.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 301 Fat: 18 Saturated fat: 6 Carbohydrates: 5 Sugar: 3 Sodium: 339 Protein: 25 Cholesterol: 96

 

Gather up:

  • 1 ½ lbs thin-cut pork chops (on the bone)
  • ¼ cup ponzu sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar splenda
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste
  • ½ 12oz. bottle of lager beer (6 oz.) (the remaining half is for the chef)

 

Poke the pork chops all over with a fork and let marinate with the remaining ingredients in a Ziploc bag for at least 30 minutes.

Summer Pork Chops

Discard the marinade.

Heat a grill pan on high and spray with nonstick spray.

Cook each pork chop for 1 minute per side.

Summer Pork Chops

Remove to a plate to rest.

Summer Pork Chops

Serve with a fresh salad.

Summer Pork Chops

We like snacking on leftovers cold, straight out of the fridge.

Perfect Crockpot Chicken

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Perfect Crockpot Chicken

I’m so desperate to be done with decorating my house. Every day when I come home, there are boxes in front of my door and phone calls to return from delivery people. I have to remind myself to live and enjoy life now and not to wait for everything to be perfectly in its place. Today’s recipe is all about the technique. Elevating a whole chicken off the base of the crockpot allows it to brown beautifully and cooking it at a lower temperature than in the oven means the meat is fall-off-the-bone-tender. I used Goya Sazon seasoning because that’s what I like, but you could easily swap it out for a couple tablespoons of Cajun seasoning or rotisserie seasoning or any spice mix you prefer. It’s my little slice of perfection after a messy day!

4.0 from 1 reviews
Perfect Crockpot Chicken
 
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Perfectly cooked chicken in a crockpot! Elevating the bird on top of foil allows it to easily brown on all sides.
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4-lb chicken
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 packets Goya Sazon
  • 4 balls of foil
Instructions
  1. Remove inside bag from the chicken.
  2. Crush 4 pieces of foil into balls and place in the bottom of the crockpot.
  3. Rub Goya Sazon seasoning and olive oil all over the chicken, including the inside cavity.
  4. Cook in crockpot on high for 3 hours.

 

You’ll need:

  • 4-lb chicken
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 packets Goya Sazon
  • 4 balls of foil

Remove inside bag from the chicken. You can use the contents to make a gravy, but usually I just chuck it in the trash. I think it’s almost a rite of passage to forget to remove this bag at least once, lol.

Perfect Crockpot Chicken

Crush 4 pieces of foil into balls and place in the bottom of the crockpot. Peeled potatoes would also be a good substitute for the foil.

Perfect Crockpot Chicken

Rub seasoning and olive oil all over the chicken, including the inside cavity.

Perfect Crockpot Chicken

Cook in crockpot on high for 3 hours.

Perfect Crockpot Chicken

Juicy and delicious!

Perfect Crockpot Chicken

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