Italian Chicken Tenders

These were AWESOME and incredibly EASY. My 10 year old helped me to make these, and he happily took leftovers for lunch several times last week.  For leftovers, put a bit of tomato sauce over the top, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and cook for 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven. It’s chicken parm when you’re done!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken tenders
• 1-2 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp Cooking oil (I use lard, ghee, or avocado oil)

Preheat oil a nonstick skillet or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Combine cheese and seasonings ina bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dip in egg, and then in the cheese mixture. In batches, cook the chicken in the skillet for 3-4 minutes on each side (depending on thickness). Do NOT move the chicken before it is time to flip. Remove to paper towels. Repeat process with remaining chicken. Enjoy!

Italian Eggs

I am making these again today because they’re awesome, and they’re easy.  It takes a bit of time in the oven, and the process could be expedited if you cover after adding the eggs. You can also make this with hard centered eggs if you want.  My friend, Jeannie gave me the idea of separating the eggs for the cooking process in order to get a runny egg. These were really great and quite simple.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Italian sausage (I like Trader Joe’s. Make sure to check ingredients to avoid sugars, nitrates or any ingredients that you do not immediately recognize as real foods)
• 1/4 cup organic marinara (again, check the label for added sugar or oils that aren’t good to consume e.g. canola oil)
• 6 Tbsp mozzarella cheese
• 6 eggs
• 1 green onion or 2 basil leaves, chopped.
• cayenne
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mold the sausage into large ramekins (you could also use a muffin tin though it would be a tighter fit)
3. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Spoon the marinara (low carb) into the cups to cover the bottom.
5. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp cheese (or put small slices) over the marinara
6. Add the egg to the ramekins (if you want a runny yolk, separate the yolk from the whites and cook the whites first)
7. Bake until the egg is set (about 20 minutes–faster if covered). Add yolk back for 3-4 minutes if you reserved it.
8. Garnish with green onion or basil, and add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

You can either eat straight out of the ramekin (though it might be hot).  You can also take a large spoon, hold the ramekin with tongs, and ease the sausage cup out.

Makes 6

Low Carb Fried Chicken

Yep. You read that right. This turned out SO amazing. It was actually the brainchild of my husband and son while I was at work. The key is using a thermometer for use to check your oil temperature, but also the internal temperature of the chicken. Grab your favorite bone, skin on chicken, and go to town! I like to use the digital thermometers with the wireless probe, or the probe that is connected with a wire to the digital reader. You want your oil to stay at 350 degrees so you might need to continuously adjust your burner over time. Remove the chicken once it reaches 155-160 so that it can continue to reach 165 while cooling.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 6 pieces bone-in, skin on dark meat chicken (haven’t tried with white meat yet, but confident it would work).
• 1 bag pork rinds
• salt and pepper
• avocado oil or lard

Method:

In a cast iron skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of oil (this will depend on how wide the base of your skillet is (or dutch oven). Heat the oil to 350 degrees.  Pulse the pork rinds until they are the consistency of breadcrumbs. Pat the chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper. Dip into the egg and then into the pork rind breadcrumbs. If the oil has reached 350 degrees, gently place the chicken into the oil. Cook on each side for around 5 minutes. Check the oil temperature frequently to be sure it is staying around 350 degrees (to avoid burning). Continue turning the chicken ever few minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 155-160. Remove to paper towels once it is up to temperature and allow to cool a bit. Enjoy!

 

 

TWO ingredient Mahi Mahi burgers with garlic mustard aioli!

Yep. TWO ingredients. Thank you Trader Joe’s for giving us some convenient keto options!

 

This was so good. A little crispy on the outside, and just AMAZING with the aioli. I’m not much of a fish eater, but this is GOOD.

More Low Carb Whole30 Goodness

I think one of my favorite things I can have with low carb is deviled eggs. I LOVE these, and they used to feel like such an indulgence. To be fair, they still do, but I do not feel the guilt associated.

This was incredibly easy, and it tasted great. I would probably use a hand mixer or mini food processor to mix the filling because it is very difficult to get all of the lumps out.

Deviled Eggs:

Ingredients:

• 6 hard-boiled eggs (let water boil, add eggs, cook 13 minutes, plunge into ice bath=easy to peel EVERY time)
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup mayo (a little less if you don’t like the filling quite so creamy)
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• smoked paprika for garnish

Cut the eggs lengthwise.  Remove yolks and put into a bowl or food processor.  Add remaining ingredients (except for the paprika) to the yolk bowl. Arrange the egg whites on a plate and spoon in the yolk mixture (I use two spoons as if I were putting cookies on a sheet to go in the oven). Sprinkle with paprika.

Who is ready for this? Let’s do some low carb Whole30!

Starting off the new year with some Hot Dog Chili! Low carb, incredibly versatile, and great for cold winter weather!

There are so many options for this chili that it really can appeal to almost everyone.

I got this idea from the cookbook, Primal Cravings, but I have changed quite a bit of the original recipe.  I love Trader Joe’s Salsa Verdi, so I threw that in instead of stewed tomatoes. There is tomato sauce in the recipe as well, so it has plenty of that tomato flavor, but not a lot of tomato chunks. This is SO easy to make, and my husband loves it leftover to take for lunches. Obviously, it is packed with a lot of protein, but I love the addition of the soft egg on top. It was a perfect!

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs ground beef

1 lb uncured hot dogs

1 jar Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde

1 1/3 cup tomato sauce

3 large cloves garlic

1 1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 4oz can chopped green chilis

optional:

avocado

sour cream

shredded cheese

jalapeños

fresh tomato

raw onion

scallions

mustard

relish

avocado

bacon

fried egg

sauerkraut

Method:

In a large pot or skillet, brown the beef and hot dogs. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat. Top with any of the optional ingredients.

Pressure Cooker Method:

Brown the beef on the “browning” setting of the pressure cooker. Add hot dogs and garlic, and stir for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients, stir.  Set the cooker to “high pressure” for 10 minutes.  That’s it!