Artichoke Fennel Tortellini

1 pkg Cheese Tortellini
2 Tomatoes, skinned and diced
1/2 Sweet Onion, diced
1 cup Crimini Mushrooms, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup White Wine
1 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp butter

Heat a pan and add the olive oil once it is hot and add the garlic to sautée for 30 seconds then add the diced onion.  Sautée on medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent then add the diced tomatoes, mushrooms, fennel seeds and liquids. Start boiling salted water for the pasta. Simmer the sauce until it reduces by half, add the pepper, chili flakes, and salt and turn down to a low simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp butter.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and toss in rest of the butter. Serve with fresh parsley and shredded Parmesan.

Gnocchi with Leeks & Sausage in a Creamy Mushroom sauce

This recipe is totally sublime. If you're looking for a flavorful, hearty, and rich-like-a-millionaire recipe to knock your socks off, this is a sure bet!  It's a smokey, warm dish with plenty of protein and finished with a smooth mushroom sauce while the leeks play a subtle role and the tomatoes add freshness. The gnocchi help hold the deep flavors together, but it could be done with fettucine.

The Farmer Beczki sausage should be found at any Polish or Euro deli. It's a delightfully smokey sausage, and pairs well the gnocchi and mushrooms and adds flavor to the chicken.

Main Ingredients

250g gnocchi
300g or 2 chicken breasts, diced small
100g Farmer Beczki sausage, sliced
1 Leek, sliced into medallions
1 cup Crimini mushrooms sliced or quartered
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 tsp oil

Sauce 

1 tbsp +1 tsp butter
4 Crimini mushrooms washed and sliced thinly
1/2 cup dry White Wine
1 clove garlic crushed
1/4 tsp Savory or Thyme
1/2 cup milk
Salt &, fresh ground pepper to taste
1 tsp flour
**Option to also add cream cheese and/or sour cream to make a richer, tangy sauce.

Assembly

Set water to boil with salt for the gnocchi.

In a saucepan, begin making the sauce by melting the tbsp of butter over low-medium heat, and add the mushrooms salt and pepper once melted. Continue to cook until the mushrooms wilt and begin to become darker. Add the white wine, thyme, and garlic and bring to a simmer while stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, set aside on a bowl.  In the saucepan begin melting the 1tsp butter and then slowly add the flour stirring constantly. Continue cooking the roux until it's a nice brown color then begin adding the milk slowly.**  Add the mushrooms and wine slowly back into the saucepan and continue simmering at a low heat.

**Add the cream cheese and sour cream and stir until melted and smooth. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat oil and add the chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until no pink is showing, about 6-7 minutes. Next add the sliced beczki sausage, leeks, mushrooms, and garlic and continue to cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and continue to sauté for 5 minutes then turn off heat.

Cook the gnocchi per package directions, drain and add to the chicken and sausage and cover with sauce. Serve with Parmesan flakes and parsley if available.

Keto Beef Stroganoff

This is a great Beef Stroganoff recipe - a rich, creamy, beefy gravy with tons of mushrooms!

So I found this recipe on another blog and it had so much story to it I had to write my own. I prefer recipe blogs with the ingredients at the top, to make it easier to view on mobile for shopping and reading while cooking. So bear with me, I'll write after.. maybe! As you can see I'm not much of a writer ;) Short on words, big on flavor!

INGREDIENTS

• 800g ground beef (lean or regular)
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large clove garlic, finely sliced
• ½ tsp Himalayan or fine sea salt
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 cups Water
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped 
• 1 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• 450g crimini mushrooms, sliced (approximately 8 medium mushrooms)
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp amaranth flour in 1 cup of water
• 8 yellow and green zucchinis in ribbons or spirals* 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat a large pan coated with sunflower oil over high heat and brown and sear the beef so it's well cooked and if you enjoy crunch, to form a nice golden crust on all sides.
2. Add onions, garlic, salt, pepper, lower heat to medium and continue cooking until the onions are softened.
3. Add 2 cups of beef broth, Dijon mustard and fresh rosemary and sage and stir until the mustard is mixed in.
4. Lower heat and simmer until the liquid is almost completely evaporated then add 2 cups of water and repeat the process.
5. At this point, you want to add your mushrooms, beef broth and Amaranth flour in water. Bring back to a simmer and continue cooking until you're left with a nice, thick sauce; Turn off the heat.
6. In a mixing bowl, add sour cream, and about a cup of your cooking liquid. Mix with a whisk until fully combined and add that to the pan.
7. Add fresh parsley and stir delicately until all is well combined.
8. Serve over zucchini noodles, or on it's own! 

This is such a delicious recipe, makes for 6 with the nutritional facts (without zoodles) as:
484 calories
37 g fat (0 trans)
8.3 g net carbs
27.7 g protein

You can reduce the calories by using a leaner ground beef and greek yogurt or halving the sour cream. If you want you can use inside round steak cut into cubes or strips and pop it in the crock pot so it's melt in your mouth beefy deliciousness, but I'm a ground beef kinda gal.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Scalloped Potatoes

A hybrid of the ever loved scalloped potatoes and a delicious hot cheesy dip.

2-3 cups Thinly slice red or white potatoes
2 breasts rotisserie chicken diced/or shredded
8 oz (250g) or 1 pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Original sauce
1 Tbsp (or more!) Red Rooster Sriracha sauce
2 cups shredded 3 cheese mix (Mozza, Provolone, Parmesan, or you can use Monterey, Cheddar)
 Bleu Cheese crumbled
1 1/2 cups Milk
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt

Pre-heat oven to 350*F.
Soften the cream cheese in the oven in an ovenproof dish while it preheats.

In a small saucepan melt the butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper and slowly whisk in flour.  When smooth, slowly add in milk while whisking.  Bring to a boil and add one cup of shredded cheese and half bleu cheese, stirring to keep it smooth.

Remove the softened cream cheese and stir in the remaining bleu cheese, chicken and hot sauces until well mixed and coated.

Place a layer of thinly sliced potatoes on the bottom of a lightly greased ovenproof baking dish. Cover with some cheese sauce and then spoon 1/3 chicken-cheese mixture onto potatoes, then place another layer of potatoes and repeat until finished.  Top with the remaining shredded cheese.

Cook uncovered in oven for 1 hour.

Curried Apple Quinoa

A common recipe but of course but I figured I'd list mine so I can come back to it.

1 cup (approx 1 pkg) of Quinoa
1 Apple chopped (Granny Smith or other semi tart and firm apple)
1 cup Kale chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries, currants or raisins (unsweetened)* 
1/2 Lime
1 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Madras Curry
2 garlic cloves minced or 1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Fresh ground pepper
1/2-1 tsp salt
fresh mint


Rinse the Quinoa in cold water very well and drain. Then cook the Quinoa in 1.5 cups of low sodium vegetable or chicken broth, with garlic until all water is absorbed. Steam the Kale and squeeze some lime juice onto it.  Mix the chopped apple with honey, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar.  Mix the Quinoa with the remaining ingredients and add the chopped apple mix.  Mix well and serve with mint, warm.

Experimental QUICHE!

Ok... so quiche is a new thing of mine, I LOVE quiche but have never made it.

My quiche:

12 eggs, beaten until light yellow
1 can evaporated milk
2c shredded herb & garlic cheddar cheese
1/2 finely diced bell pepper
1 pkg thawed and drained (or 2 bundles washed and chopped fresh) spinach
1 can mushrooms (I used mushroom medley)
1/2-1c diced ham
3 tbsp flaked dried onion
1-2 tsp garlic powder
Seasoning Salt to taste
salt and pepper (I used fresh ground) to taste

I wanted to add fresh oregano but totally forgot hah. And forgot the green onion I had haha. Whoops!

I placed into 6 ginormous muffin tins and a square glass baking dish well buttered.
Bake at 300*C for 50-60mins (hopefully)

They tell me to stick a knife in it to check if it's done. hmmm...

I hope it's seasoned well enough! 

SMELLS GOOD!

Spiceradish Eggs!

Can't think of a better name for em, really.

Trying to find some high protein variety snacks and I came up with the idea of deviled eggs. MMM LOVE THEM, of course using non-fat/half fat mayo or traditionally (in my house!) Miracle Whip (omg so delish).  But then I found a recipe and over the past week I've tweaked it.  And in my good fashion, all measurements are by "dash" so very very approximate haha.


Hard boiled eggs as many as you want
(don't know how? Here's a simple way!  Poke holes in egg bottoms with a pin, put in large pot and cover +1inch with cold water.  Set to boil.  Once rolling boil remove from heat and let sit for 11 mins, dump the water and sit under running cold water tap to cool and stop cooking process.)

Half the eggs, put egg yolks in a bowl or in a small food processor
Add 1/4-1/3cup light/fat free mayo
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne*  (start with less, 1/4tsp then increase as you taste test)
1/2 tsp pepper
2tbsp (or more!) prepared horseradish (or homemade if you can!!!!)

Blend or crush with your forky-fork until smooth. I dislike using a fork now because the yolks still are chunky.  Electricity is a beauty, why let it escape our control?! Unless you're a hippie...

ENJOY!