Zucchini Enchiladas

It's rare around our house when the family ASKS me to make a Keto dish again and again.

Last night was the 3rd time in as many weeks to make zucchini beef enchiladas.  Big Hit Every Time!  I even made extra this time to make sure there would be enough leftovers for lunch.  There might be enough for one person.   I love it when they enjoy my cooking.

The great thing about this dish; you can change them each time you make them.  Want chicken enchiladas?  Shred some chicken.  Want cheese enchiladas?  Shred up some different cheeses.  You can really get creative.

I did finally get some pictures and I've had many of you asking for the recipe so here you go!

Zucchini Enchiladas
Makes 16-18 enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef 80/20
2-3 Tbsp Taco Seasoning click link for recipe
3 medium large zucchini
2 cups shredded cheese (we like extra sharp cheddar)
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 8oz can of El Pato tomato sauce (find it in the Ethnic section of the grocery store)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°  Prepare a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Brown ground beef, add taco seasoning and let simmer while you're getting the rest of the ingredients ready. 

Using a mandolin slicer on the thinnest setting, slice the zucchini into strips.  Lay them out on a cutting board or cookie sheet and press with paper towels to absorb some of the natural liquid.  Shred your cheese, dice the onion.

Place 4 strips of zucchini side by side overlapping each other about 1/4".  Place 1 Tbsp or so of hamburger on the zucchini strips.  Add onion and cheese and carefully roll up.  Place in casserole dish.  Repeat process.

Drizzle 1 spoonful of El Pato sauce on each enchilada.  Sprinkle remaining cheese, onion and any beef over the top.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 5 more minutes to make sure cheese is melted and gooey.

Serve with your favorite toppings.  Some suggestions:  sour cream, avocado, black olives, green onion, hot sauce, salsa.  Whatever you like.

Nutritional value for 3 enchiladas:
calories 486; fat 36.9; total carbs 7.4; fiber 1.8; net carbs 5.6; sugars 4.9; protein 30.8

Taco Seasoning

Tacos have always been a weekly menu item in our home.  Either going to the local Tex-Mex restaurant for $.99 Taco Tuesday, the fast food greasy taco, you know the one that drips orange grease down your mouth or preparing a taco feast at home. 

I have always had my favorite packaged taco seasoning.  I've been buying the same little yellow envelope for many many years and it wasn't until I began the Keto lifestyle that I really even gave the ingredients and carb count a second thought.  Did you know that 1 tsp of  packaged taco seasoning has 3 carbs??? That seemed crazy to me, until I looked at the ingredients... Maltodextrin, corn starch, anticaking agent (I don't really like the sound of that one) and SUGAR.  But wait, sugar??? the nutrition says 0 total sugars.  This is how hidden carbs are added to your food without you even knowing. 

If you're allowing yourself 20 net carbs per day and you can't figure out why you're not in ketosis or your weight loss is slow or has stalled. This could be the reason.  Read the labels.

I started making my own seasoning blends a year ago.  My picky, store bought, processed food is better husband doesn't like the idea of me blending my own spices together.  So, I keep this yellow package in the spice draw.   I don't talk about it and just let him think that I'm continuously replacing this packet.

You can google taco seasoning recipes and get lots of different choices.  Most of them are very similar.  Usually, most of the spices are the same, the amounts may differ a bit.  This is the combination that I like the best.

Teresa's Taco Seasoning Blend

Yields approximately 6 Tbsp

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbsp ground chili powder

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you want a mild seasoning or double up for some heat)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried minced onion

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

Place all spices in an air tight container and shake to combine.

How to use:

Depending on your taste you may want to add more or less.  In 1 lb ground beef, add 2 Tbsp of spice mix to beef.  If using extra lean beef you may want to add a couple Tbsp of water and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.  I use an 80/20 blend of ground beef and the fat helps the spices simmer into the meat without adding extra water.

Nutritional values per serving (approx 2 tsp per person)

calories 5; fat trace; total carbs 1; fiber 0; net carbs 1; sugar 0; protein trace

Keto Tostada Shells

The family wants tacos for dinner.  What are you going to do?

Are you going to say "screw it" and eat corn or flour tortillas because everyone else is?  There are low carb options Mission makes a tortilla depending on the size, you can get them with 3 net carbs to 8 net carbs.  But, these tortilla are not "technically" considered keto.  Why?  you ask!  Because they contain grains.  Yes, they fit into your macros of under 20 net carbs, they are great for many people.  I've tried them, but I notice that they give me a belly ache or maybe it's a weird coincidence that I get a grumbly, talkative belly about an hour after I eat these.

So, this was my predicament last night.  The family said "TACOS".  My brain immediately went to taco salad, but sometimes you just want the crunch.  I've made cheddar cheese taco shells before and I don't know why I don't make them more often.  They are the perfect taco shell.

I decided to have a mozzarella tostada shell.  I'll definitely be making these again.

How to make them...

Mozzarella Tostada Shells
Makes 2

Ingredients:
3 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  NOTE - it MUST be parchment paper or you will have a sticky, melty, runny mess.

Divide shredded cheese into two piles.  I used a 1/2 sheet baking pan and two fit perfectly without running together.  Begin by shaping the cheese into a tortilla form.  Round, single layer, fill in the gaps or empty spaces or you will have holes in your shell.  Once you have the cheese shaped, make sure that your cheese is about 2" from each other.

Bake for 15 minutes or until it begins to brown.  Remove from oven.  Slide the the parchment paper off the pan and let them rest for a few minutes to cool and get crispy.

Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy.  

Nutritional value per tostada shell:

calories 121; fat 7.6; total carbs 1.5; fiber 0; net carbs 1.5; sugars 0; protein 9.1

Cheesy Zoodles

My son is the biggest mac and cheese fan I think I have ever met.  So anytime we can incorporate a cheesy sauce into anything he's all for it.

My mom gave me a cookbook today call the Ketogenic Diet Cookbook by Amanda Hughes.  I opened the book and there was a recipe for baked zoodles and cheese.  Even though I didn't have all of the ingredients it called for, I was able to make some substitutions and still have a great cheesy replacement for his beloved mac and cheese.

My Version...

Cheesy Zoodles
Serves 3

Ingredients:
2 medium to large zucchinis - spiralized
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1/8 cup water
3/8 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 Tbsp butter (room temp)
pinch of garlic powder
1 1/3 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
4 slices pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup ground pork rinds
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (green canister)
splash of olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° and prepare a small baking dish.  I used 3 mini disposable loaf pans.  Spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, salt the zucchini noodles (zoodles) and toss.  Let them sit for 15 minutes or so and then wrap in paper towels or cheese cloth and squeeze out excess liquid. 

In a separate bowl, combine water, heavy cream, egg and yolk, butter and garlic powder and whisk.

Spread the zoodles into the bottom of baking dish.  Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top and toss it together with the zoodles.  Pour the cream mixture over the top.  Top with thin sliced Pepperjack cheese (these are really thin, like Ultra Thin Sargentos, but I got them at the deli)

Combine ground pork rinds, Parmesan cheese and a splash of olive oil together to make a "bread crumb" topping.  Spoon over the top and bake for 45 minutes.

Like I said...I made 3 servings.  We each ate one and there is one in the fridge that he will probably eat tonight sometime.

Nutritional Value per serving:
calories 438; fat 37.2; total carbs 5; fiber 1.3; net carbs 3.7; sugars 3.4; protein 18.7

Batter Dipped Chicken

For the last year, I've been trying to find a way to coat chicken and fry it which allows the coating to stay on during the frying process.  I've used pork rinds in place of the flour coating and it is tasty, but the coating slides off or sticks to the skillet or gets too dark too fast.  I've tried almond flour, coconut flour and almond meal mixed with pork rinds and yes, I've had some successes but it's just not the exact way I want it. 

A week to two ago, Davy and I decided to try to make a beer batter for chicken nuggets.  It was a good recipe and it was very successful, but we didn't write a thing down.  I'm not sure we even measured any ingredients, except the beer. lol

This afternoon, Davy suggested we give the chicken nuggets another go, but we didn't have a beer, and we couldn't remember how we made the last batter.  So once again, this was an experiment...but I did remember to take notes, just in case it as a huge success and guess what!?!  It was...

This is our batter dipped chicken nugget recipe.

Batter Dipped Chicken Nuggets
serves 2

Ingredients:

Batter:
4 Tbsp ground Mac's salt & pepper pork rinds
2 eggs
2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp water

2 chicken breasts 6-8 oz total cut into bite size pieces
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp coconut oil
salt, pepper or your favorite seasoning to taste

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients for the batter (pork rinds, eggs, Parmesan, baking powder, heavy cream and water) in a food processor or blender.  You can mix this by hand but the food processor gave it a smoother consistency.  It will be thick like waffle batter.

Heat butter and coconut oil in a skillet on medium high heat to approximately 300°

Season the chicken pieces (we used 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, pinch of oregano 1/4 tsp garlic powder and several dashes of pepper)  Sprinkled the seasoning on the chicken and toss around to make sure it is seasoned well.

Dip the chicken in the batter and place it in the hot butter/oil.  Fry for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. 

The best part...the batter stayed on the chicken.  It was well coated, crispy and enjoyed :)

Next time I'm going to try to use this same batter recipe on fish.  I've never been able to get anyone in the family to eat fish unless it was fried in cornmeal.  This might be the answer to our Keto lifestyle.

Nutritional value per serving:
calories 441; fat 30; total carbs 0.4; fiber 0; sugars 0.2; protein 41.7

Creamed Spinach

I love spinach.  I've eaten spinach salads, spinach in quiche, canned spinach and frozen spinach.  But I've never in my life eaten creamed spinach.  It never appealed to me, it didn't seem right...  Don't ask me why.

Last night I had a dream that we were at a fancy steak house.  The waitress brought me my meal and there was a beautiful steak and this creamy green stuff.  I asked her what it was and she said "creamed spinach"  I asked her to take it back because I didn't order it.  She told me to taste it and she guaranteed I would love it.   I woke up from my dream before tasting it, but that dream stuck with me all day long.

David wanted Sonic for dinner, Davy was going out with friends so I decided I would try to make creamed spinach for myself and if I didn't like it, oh well.

I've got to tell you, I could have eaten the entire pan if my stomach wasn't so full.  It was so yummy.

Creamed Spinach
4 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs fresh spinach
1/2 small yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water
2 tsp sea salt divided
1 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
2 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water and 1 tsp sea salt to a boil.  Add spinach and let it wilt for approximately 2 minutes.  Strain the water off and run cold water over the spinach to stop the wilting.  Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove excess water.  I bunched all the spinach up in paper towels and squeezed until all the water was out.  Cut the bundle of spinach into pieces.  Set aside.

In a large skillet melt butter, add onion and garlic and cook on medium heat until they just begin to brown slightly.  Add 1 tsp sea salt, pepper and nutmeg.  (You're probably wondering why nutmeg, well I can't answer that.  I did some browsing of different creamed spinach recipes and several of them called for nutmeg so I thought what the heck...this may be the one and only time you ever eat creamed spinach.)  Stir into the onions and garlic.  Add heavy cream and water bring to a boil. 

While continuously stirring, gently sprinkle the xanthan gum.  Don't dump a glob of xanthan gum or it will cook into a glob.  The trick is sprinkle and stir, sprinkle and stir.  Add mozzarella and cream cheese.  Stir the cheese until melted.  This should be getting pretty thick now.  Add the spinach and stir until it breaks up and the cream and spinach are thoroughly combined.  Add shredded parmesan.

This is so good.  I can't believe I've never tried it before.  This will definitely be a new side dish.

Nutritional values per serving:
calories 361; fat 32.3; total carbs 7.2; fiber 2.9; net carbs 4.3; sugar 1; protein 9.1

This is a little higher in carbs than I would normally have, but most of the carbs are coming from the spinach so that's okay in my book.

Hope you venture out and try creamed spinach and if you're already a creamed spinach lover, leave me a comment.

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake Squares

Winter Saturdays seem to be made just for baking.  It feels like it's been awhile since I've heard the whirrrr of the mixer and today seemed like the perfect day.

What was I going to bake?  Cookies? naw... Bread? nope... How about mini bundt cakes?  YES!

Now, what the heck did I do with that mini bundt cake pan?  I searched high and low, literally, and couldn't find it anywhere.  (insert sad sad face here)  But, I did find my square muffin pan.  By the way, next time I'm at Walmart, I'm buying myself a new mini bundt pan.

Got the pan, now what to put in it... pound cake sounds good, maybe with a chocolate drizzle??? That's what I was going to make.  But wait!  I've got some frozen blueberries.  I've got lemons...

This pound cake is different from the other recipes you may have seen me make.  I only used 4 eggs instead of the amount some pound cakes call for.  I've made them with 8 eggs which are WAY too eggy for me and I've tried 6 eggs which isn't bad.  I've used 4 eggs and 2 egg yolks, but this time I decided to just use 4 eggs and see what happened.

This one turned out the best!  It has a great moist texture and it's not eggy at all.  It's delicious...

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake...squares.

Ingredients:

Yields 12 muffins (12-24 servings)

2 cups almond flour

3/4 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup Pyure granulated sweetener 

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp pink salt

1 stick butter, melted

8 oz cream cheese softened

4 eggs

3/4 cup keto buttermilk (3/8 cup heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup water - heat in microwave 30 seconds, add 2 Tbsp lemon juice and stir)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon extract

1 tsp liquid stevia I used Pyure

12 Tbsp blueberries (I used about 8 berries per muffin)

Note: Pyure is twice as sweet as other sweeteners, if you're using Swerve, you'll need to double all of the measurements for sweetener.

Glaze:

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup Pyure confectioners sweetener (You may want a little more or less sweet in your glaze, adjust as needed for taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° and place rack on the next to the lowest rung of the oven (not the bottom), prepare your muffin pan with cooking spray or melted butter.  I brushed melted butter on the bottoms and sides and the muffins slid right out.

Get the first 7 ingredients in a bowl, whisk everything together and break up any clumps.  Set aside. 

 In a medium mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy.   Scrape down the sides.  Add 1 egg and beat, add the 2nd egg and beat, then add the remaining 2 eggs and beat until the eggs are completely incorporated.  Scrape down sides.  Add your Keto buttermilk, lemon juice, extracts and liquid stevia and beat everything together.

Pour 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon, add the remaining dry ingredients.  This will be thick like waffle batter.

Scoop a little less than a 1/4 cup into each muffin square and press it into the edges and corners.  Place blueberries on top and gently poke them into the batter, just so they are secure, not all the way to the bottom of the pan.

Cover the blueberries with remaining batter.  Tap the pan, or drop it onto the counter a couple of times to get the air bubbles out of the batter.

Bake for 35 minutes.  Muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.  Turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Prepare glaze:

Whisk together lemon juice and Pyure confectioners sweetener.  Let it sit for a minute or two to calm down and the air bubbles will go away.  Drizzle the glaze over the finished muffins.

Doesn't that look scrumptious?!!  Believe me it was.

Nutritional Value per 1/2 muffin

calories 157; fat 13.7; total carbs 4.3; fiber 2.2; sugars 1.2; protein 4.5

Nutritional Value per whole muffin

calories 314; fat 27.5; total carbs 8.6; fiber 4.5; sugars 2.5; protein 9