Chunky Cajun Peach Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the sauce
- 30 oz of frozen peach slices, thawed. If you have to use canned slices, drain and rinse them.
- 2 Tbl of maple syrup
- 2 tsp of Cajun seasoning (no sugar)
- a grating of sea salt
- 1 roasted red pepper, chopped (You can buy these in a jar. Just rinse well and cut it up.)
- ½ of a Vidalia onion, sliced
- 3 Tbl of fresh basil chopped
Instructions:
Spray your grill pan (or a sauté pan if you don’t have a grill pan) with olive oil spray. Heat. In a bowl add the peach slices, maple syrup, Cajun season and the sea salt. Toss to coat the peaches. When the pan is hot put in the peaches and grill them until you start to get grill marks and they are all heated. This won’t take more than a couple of minutes. Don’t move them around too much or they will all fall apart. Don’t fret is some do fall apart.
Remove peaches to a medium bowl.
Spray the pan again and add the Vidalia onion slices. Pour in a little water just to loosen the bits of Cajun seasoning on the bottom. Stir that all up so the onions get coated and just cooked through. Add the onions and the red pepper bits to the peaches reserved in the bowl. Stir in the basil. You now have your sauce. You can reheat this to serve or you can serve it room temp or cold. Just depends on the time of year you make it. In the summer it would be great cold.
Serve with your favorite protein. I serve this sauce with pork chops and pile the peach sauce on top. The peach sauce recipe makes quite a bit so you might end up with a bit of leftovers. I had plenty for five people.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Creamy Dessert Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) phase.
Servings: Makes 1 cup of sauce
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ounces cream cheese – softened
Optional:
- Add 2 Tbl of Grand Marnier. (You can make this with any liqueur to make a different flavor. Kahlua, brandy, Chambord, crème d’cassis will all work. Depending on which one you choose the sauce will color a pink, beige or light purple. Tasty.)
Instructions:
Melt butter over medium heat. Add Truvia and cream. Heat on medium to a light boil.
Keep it lightly boiling for 6 minutes. Stir constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and softened cream cheese. If the sauce is too thick for your tastes add more liqueur or water.
Makes 1 cup. Stores in refrigerator well. Reheat as needed.
I love this sauce over the inside out apple pie. YUM.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mexican Seafood Salad (the Z3 version)
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. The design of this dish is for fancy food for a hot day. You can make this much simpler and less expensive by using less expensive seafood and fish options. I’ll point that out in the recipe where appropriate. This is so very easy to make. I hope you enjoy it.
Servings: Serving size, one cup
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of scallops* (you can use the smaller bay scallops or cut larger ones into chunks)
- 1 lb of crab meat*
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 1 tsp of grated lemon peel (you can use the dry stuff in the jar or fresh)
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- cayenne to taste
- 1 cup of chopped celery
- 1 cup of fresh pico de gallo. This is just a simple, fresh salsa. You can find it in the deli section of most grocery stores. Or use salsa with no sugar in it.
Instructions:
In a large sauté pan cook the scallops to your liking. Then add the crab, veggies, pico and the spices and stir. Continue cooking on medium until warm. It’s that easy. Serve over your favorite greens.
To make this really extra fancy, add a scoop of guacamole on top of the sea food salad and serve with just a few tortilla chips.
- To save on budget, instead of scallops substitute fish. Tilapia will work fine. You can also substitute less expensive shrimp for the crab meat. If you do, make sure the shrimp are cooked and tails are removed.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
The Hacking of the American Mind (Condensed Version)
The best-selling author and UCSF endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig explores how industry has contributed to a culture of addiction, depression and chronic disease. Always provocative, Lustig reveals the science that drives these states of mind and offers solutions we can use.
Zippy Orange Salsa for Grilled Fish
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This is a Mexican-style sauce. The sauce is definitely served cold and makes a great contrast to warm fish. You can also do this with chicken if you prefer.
Servings: You can eat up to 1 cup. If you do, you will have to subtract the amount of fruit you eat from your dessert fruit portion. Same with the peppers as a deduction from your veggies.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup minced onion. I prefer red onion, but you can also use shallots or any other onion.
- 3 cloves of minced garlic (jar garlic is fine but fresh will taste brighter)
- 1 jalapeno pepper minced or to taste. This makes a fairly mild salsa so you can add extra jalapeno if you want.
- 1 cup diced tomato (I used cherry tomatoes and cut them in quarters.)
- Juice of one orange
- 2 cups of diced bell peppers. I use a combo of red, yellow and orange. They are mild. If you use green pepper you significantly change the taste of the salsa.
Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir. Let the salsa sit in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes to combine the flavors. The longer the sits the more the jalapeno will heighten the flavor intensity.
Serve cold over hot grilled protein for best result. Both fish and chicken will work. This is great on a hot day.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Exotic Peach Relish with Your Choice of Protein
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe. Without the raisins, this becomes a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves 6
This peach relish tastes a bit on the Indian-side. It’s really delightful and can be eaten with several things. I had mine with salmon but you could serve it over chicken or pork, too. Plus, it tastes fancy enough for company.
Ingredients:
- 6 ripe peaches, cut into bite-sized chunks. You can blanch and peel the peaches in advance if you like. I don’t bother. I like the extra fiber from the peach skin in my relish. I hardly notice it’s even there. Just cut chunks off and toss the pits.
- 1 large tomato, diced
- ½ cup of diced red onion
- 1 Tbl of minced ginger (ginger from a jar is fine)
- A good grate of sea salt
- 1 Tbl of olive oil
- 1-½ tsp of curry powder
- 1 Tbl of ZSweet or Swerve (these are new sweeteners you can order online)
- 1 Tbl of lime juice
Optional:
- 1/3 cup of raisins (optional and only for Z3.5)
Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Stir thoroughly. Heat on medium high until bubbling. Cook for approximately 8 minutes until the peaches are soft but still hold some shape. Stir often.
Let the mixture cool down. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
As the mixture cools and is in storage, the flavors will continue to develop. It even tastes better the second day!
I serve mine cold over a hot protein. The juxtaposition is really wonderful.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zucchini Lasagna
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
This lasagna has no noodles. Standing in for the noodle layers are zucchini sliced the long way. This is best accomplished with a steady hand and a mandolin slicer but it can be accomplished with a long knife too. You’ll never miss the noodles. Try this one with kids and they will happily eat their veggies.
Servings: Serves 4 – 6 depending on portion size
Ingredients:
- 2 medium zucchini (about 8” long and 1.5” in diameter)
- ½ tsp of grated sea salt
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 8 oz of fresh, sliced mushrooms (you choose which kind)
- ½ cup of diced onion
- a few pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 small jar of spaghetti sauce. You’ll need 2 cups (look for a brand with no sugar. Rao is one and so is Classico Reserva).
- 2 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp of Italian seasoning
- 8 oz of full fat ricotta cheese (1/2 of the carton)
- 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach (I get this at the salad bar so I don’t have a bunch of leftover spinach)
- 1-1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (or Italian blend will work too)
- 1 cup of grated parmesan
Instructions:
Cut the ends off of your zucchini and discard them. Slice your zucchini fairly thinly – the long way. Less than a quarter inch thick is good. Just be steady handed and this will work. Don’t worry if they are not all perfect or some break. No one will ever know. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Spread your zucchini on the cookie sheet so they don’t touch each other. Dust with a light grating of sea salt. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes. Let set to cool while you prep the rest. Roasting the zucchini will take out some of the moisture so you don’t end up with soggy, watery lasagna. It’s worth the extra step.
In a saute pan add your ground beef, the mushrooms and the onion. Break up the meat as it cooks on medium. Stir often. You want to cook this until the beef is cooked through but also until at least half of the moisture cooks off. Mushrooms give off a lot of juice so you need to cook them down.
Add the spaghetti sauce and stir. Get it all mixed up. Add the pepper flakes if you want your final product to be a bit zippier.
In a small bowl, add your ricotta cheese. Stir in the garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
Spray a 9” x 9” oven proof casserole dish. Now you’ll begin to layer.
Add a layer of zucchini strips on the bottom. Then add half of your meat mixture. On top of that put in blobs of the ricotta mixture. Just plop teaspoons of the stuff across the top of the meat mixture. Maybe 8 – 10 blobs. To that with your spinach. That makes a good middle layer to break things up. If it’s getting too high at this point just gently press it down.
Top with a little less than half of the mozzarella.
Now the other half of the meat sauce. More blobs of ricotta and a layer of mozzarella. Finally spread your additional layer of zucchini strips. Top that with any leftover mozzarella and the parmesan.
Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Watch for it to begin to brown toward the end. I like mine to have a nice crust.
Be sure to let it sit for 10 minutes before you cut it. This will help it firm up but most importantly cool down so you don’t fry the roof of your mouth.
Leftovers taste AT LEAST as good as the original if not even better. Just cut your portions and reheat in a casserole dish.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Ham and Broccoli Casserole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
On any given weeknight you need something easy to put together and fairly fast to get on the table. This is a perfect option.
Servings: Serves 4 but can easily be doubled by using a 9" x 13" pan
Ingredients:
- 2-3 cups of broccoli florets cut into bite-sized pieces. You want enough to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
- 1-2 cups of cubed ham. This just depends on how “hammy” you want it. Buy a breakfast ham steak and just cut off the outer edge and cut the rest into cubes.
- 2 Tbl of butter
- 4 oz of sliced button mushrooms
- 1/3 cup of diced shallot or onion
- a whisper of cayenne (optional)
- grated sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of whipping cream
- 1/2 cup of mayo
- 1-1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup of grated parmesan
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Take out your 9” x 9” ovenproof casserole dish. Spread the broccoli chunks across the bottom of the pan.
Spread your cubed ham on top. In a saute pan, add the butter and melt it. Put in the mushrooms and begin to cook them. When they softened, add the shallots/onions. Saute until the mushrooms are done to your liking or a bit browned. Add the whisper of cayenne if you’d like and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remember, ham is salty so you won’t need much.
Spread that mixture over the ham and broccoli.
In a medium bowl, combine the mayo and the cream. Stir until the mayo is incorporated into the cream. It might look a bit lumpy. That’s okay. Drizzle that over the casserole ingredients. Spread the shredded cheddar over the top. Then top that with the parmesan.
Bake in your oven for 40 minutes. The casserole will be lightly browned on top. Let set for 5- 10 minutes when it comes out of the oven so you don’t burn your mouth when you go to eat it.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Anniversary Chicken Tenders
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Anniversary chicken is a rather famous recipe. Been around a long time. I don’t have any idea, though, where the name came from. I made my own twist on this recipe. Most often it’s made with chicken breast. I made mine with chicken tenders. I served this for a small dinner but I can see a platter of these being put on a buffet for a bigger party. I served mine with simple roasted green beans. Quick weeknight meal.
Servings: Serves 2 - 3
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbl olive oil
- 1 package of chicken tenders (about 8)
- ¼ cup of teriyaki basting sauce
- ¼ cup of ranch dressing
- ½ - 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 4 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a skillet over medium heat, add the oil and the chicken tenders. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes to get them browned on one side. Place the browned pieces in a 9” x 9” oven proof pan. Spread the teriyaki sauce over the chicken. Then drizzle the dressing on top.
Scatter the cheddar cheese over the top as well as the green onions.
Put in the oven to bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until there is no pink remaining in the chicken. If you are not confident, cut one open to check.
While the chicken is baking you can make your bacon if you did not do so in advance.
When the chicken comes out of the oven, sprinkle with the bacon and serve.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Pumpkin Chiffon
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Just in time for a fancy party, a super-easy, festive dessert. This can be made in about 3 minutes and keeps for days covered in the refrigerator. Feed this to the kids (and adults) instead of ice cream.
Ingredients:
- package of cream cheese (softened). Just leave it out on the counter to soften up, or you can zap it in your microwave (unwrapped and in a bowl) for 10-15 seconds on high.
- ½ cup of canned pumpkin (or more to taste)
- ¼ cup of Truvia (granulated)
- ½ tsp of pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp of vanilla
Optional:
- whipped cream for serving
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a medium bowl and whip with your electric mixer for 2 minutes until fluffy and smooth. Half way through whipping be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Cover the surface with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. You can use an ice cream scoop to serve it. To make it fancy, just serve it in a pretty bowl, or you can layer it with whipped cream and serve it in a clear glass.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mexican "Fold Over" Casserole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) & Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe.
This dish can also be made with shredded, cooked chicken or turkey. For Z3 you’ll skip the flour taco shell.
This is semi-spicy. If you want less heat, just back off on the pepper flakes.
Servings: Serves 4. Can be doubled easily and baked in a 9" x 13” pan to serve 6 – 8.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion
- ½ cup of chopped red bell pepper
- ½ cup of chopped mushrooms
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- a handful of fresh baby spinach. You can buy this from the salad bar if you want, so you don’t have to buy a whole bag, or save the leftover spinach for a salad.
- ½ tsp of chili powder
- ¼ tsp of garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp of hot pepper flakes (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp of paprika
- ½ tsp of ground cumin
- grated sea salt to taste
- 5 ounces Rotel Tomatoes, drained
- 2 Tbl of canned, chopped green chilies
- ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend
- a sliced fresh jalapeno pepper (optional)/and or Fresno pepper (that’s the red one)
- 1 package of 8 inch low carb tortillas.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a large saute pan with olive oil spray. Brown the hamburger and the onion. Continually break up the hamburger into bite-sized pieces. If you end up with a lot of fat in the pan, drain it off. Add the mushrooms and bell pepper and saute until they loosen up. Add the cream cheese and the sour cream. Stir on medium low until they are both all melty.
Add the rest of the ingredients up to (but not including) the cheese and jalapeno.
Get out your 9" x 9" ovenproof pan.
Add the casserole ingredients. Heat in your oven for 15 – 20 minutes. Top with the grated cheese and bake 5 minutes more.
Serve in bowls. Or if you are in ZReboot 3.5 and want just a bit of carbs, you can serve this with a low carb taco shell. You have the option of putting filling in the middle of the shell and eating it like a soft taco. Garnish with sliced jalapeno and Fresno pepper is optional.
I garnished mine with a bit of guacamole and sour cream.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Exotic Teriyaki Mushrooms
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Servings: Serves 3 – 4 as a side dish. Can be easily multiplied or cooked in batches for a crowd.
These mushrooms are a super side dish for steak or chicken. They’d even be great with a simple roasted halibut fillet, too. My vision ranges from a quiet dinner for two up to making a huge bowl of these to pass and serve on a holiday.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbl of butter
- 2 Tbl of olive oil
- 1 lb of mushrooms. You can go exotic with shiitake, chanterelle, porcini etc. Even mix them up. Or go straightforward with button mushrooms or cremini. All depends on taste and budget.
- 2 Tbl of red wine
- 1 tsp of garlic (jar garlic will do)
- 1 – 2 Tbl of teriyaki sauce. (Teriyaki sauce has lots of sugar in it but it’s relatively low carb with just 2 grams of carbs per tablespoon, and in this dish you are using very little.)
- a dusting of garlic powder (to taste)
- a grate of black pepper (to taste)
- a grate of sea salt (to taste)
Instructions:
Melt the butter in a saute pan along with the olive oil. This mixture keeps the butter from browning and burning. Add the mushrooms as well as the rest of the ingredients. Stir regularly, cooking on medium until the mushroom begin to brown on the edges. And serve.
These can be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven. If they look to be drying out just add a little broth (beef, chicken or vegetable) and continue heating.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Potatoes Brabant (Zola Style)
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe.
Potatoes Brabant is a recipe typically served in New Orleans. They are crispy, wonderful potatoes. I adjusted the recipe to make them less complicated to make. Potatoes Brabant are cooked in boiling water and then deep-fried. I sped up the process.
I don’t eat potatoes very often but these are worth the splurge a few times a year. The yellow potatoes they are made from in my recipe are lower in carbohydrates than a Russet potato, so that’s a bonus, too.
Servings: Serves 2. Can be easily doubled.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium yellow skinned potatoes (about 1 cup of cubes per person, max)
- 2 Tbl butter
- 1 – 2 Tbl of grated parmesan cheese
- grated sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Wash the potatoes. Don’t peel them. Cube the potatoes into approximately 1/2” – 1” chunks. Put them in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil them for about 10 minutes or until they are almost done. You want them to have some substance to them so they don’t just fall apart when you go to the next stage in cooking them. Drain the potatoes.
Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Put in the potato chunks and saute them until they get crispy around the edges. Take them out of the saute pan and toss them in the Parmesan cheese. If you like you can add even a bit more Parmesan. That also cuts the glycemic index making them slightly healthier. Grate on sea salt and pepper to your taste and chow down.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
The Deconstructed Chicago Hotdog in Honor of the 2016 World Series Champs - The Chicago Cubs
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
The bunless dog can be just as tasty an experience. You get all the fixings without the weight gain. It took the Cubs 108 years to win the World Series. It only took our VP of Anger Management 7 years to “invent” this recipe.
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
- 1 ZReduction approved hotdog (Hebrew National) or sausage (Aidell’s chicken sausages)
- From the grocery store salad bar: 1 cup of veggies.
The veggies in a Chicago-style hotdog include:
- cucumber or dill pickle
- onions
- chrry tomatoes or chopped regular tomato
- bell peppers (green, red, yellow and or orange)
- for your optional salad you can choose, lettuce, spinach, kale and/or cabbage. Remember, these are unlimited.
And from the aisles you’ll need:
- sport peppers
- celery salt
- mustard (no sugar) or a dressing that is approved. Mustard vinaigrette is easy to make. Just take regular vinaigrette and add a drizzle of mustard and stir.
Directions:
The first thing is to cook your hotdog. Hotdogs are already fully cooked, so all you really need to do is heat it. Choices are to boil it, grill it, pan fry it or even heat it in the oven or microwave. Then cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Chop the veggies and peppers into bits the size you’d like to eat.
Take out a bowl or plate. Spread your optional salad on the bottom. Put your veggies across the top, sprinkle on a dusting of celery salt and then put on your hotdog. Drizzle with mustard and chow down.
Enjoy!
Cheers, and Go Cubs!
Low Carb Bloody Mary
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- ice cubes
- 2 parts vodka (Tito's is my favorite)
- dash of Worcestershire sauce (my husband uses 3 or 4 dashes)
- a dash of Tabasco sauce (or more to taste. Some use Cholula or other hot sauce)
- celery salt and ground black pepper(a sprinkle on top will be plenty)
- 1 tsp of fresh horseradish
Instructions:
You’ll need a tall glass.
Put the vodka and tomato juice in a shaker with a few ice cubes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, celery salt, pepper and horseradish. Shake well and strain into the glass (which can be with or without ice). Add salt and pepper to taste.
Standard garnish is a celery stick, which serves as a stirrer as well. A crispy piece of bacon will work, too. In Chicago they go all out with garnishes and they usually put them on a narrow stick. They might include: little baby sausages, chunks of cheese, olives, lemon slices, pickles and more. Let your imagination run wild. Just keep it low carb.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Sazarec Cocktail
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Traditional to New Orleans. This is a strong cocktail. I call it a brown martini. Very unique taste.
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- ¼ teaspoon anise flavored liqueur (I use Herbsaint brand)
- ¼ cup of rye whiskey or bourbon
- 2 dashes bitters (Peychaud is the traditional one)
- 1 lemon twist or a cherry for garnish
Instructions:
I use a martini glass for this drink. In a cocktail shaker, add about 4 large ice cubes.
Pick up your martini glass and add the Herbsaint. Swirl it around the inside of the glass to coat the inside, and toss out any extra.
Put the whiskey and bitters in with the ice. Shake until it’s very cold and some of the ice breaks down. Strain it into the glass containing the Herbsaint. Garnish and serve.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Low Carb Mojito
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Your recipe today is a low carb, tropical cocktail. You can serve this in a hurricane glass and feel all tropical.
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 oz white rum
- juice of a lime
- splash of lemon sparkling water
- splash of lime sparkling water
- ice
- mint leaves
Instructions:
The traditional mojito uses syrup for sweetening, but if you use a combination of lemon and lime soda sparkling water (La Croix is a good one) you can get the fizz and the flavor without the carbs.
Mix one jigger (1-1/2 ounces) of white rum with the juice of one fresh lime juice in a glass. Put in your ice cubes. Top it off with a combination of the lemon and lime sparkling water and garnish with muddled mint leaves.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Snickerdoodle Pie Crust
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
You’ll be amazed! When this comes out of the oven, it smells just like the famous cookie! Use this in any pie that does not need to be baked. Like my pumpkin ice box pie.
Servings: Makes one 9” pie crust or six 3” tartlets
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups SUPER FINE GROUND almond flour (Bob’s Mill is the most popular brand. You can find this in the grocery store). The super fine version works best in baking. It’s fairly new.
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 Tbl of Swerve or ZSweet (These are all natural sugar substitutes made for baking. You can buy them online.)
- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter. Add your melted butter into a medium mixing bowl. Add the other ingredients into the bowl. Combine all ingredients with a fork just until the butter gets incorporated. You’ll know you’re doing it right because the dough will get a bit wet (but not soggy). Just keep stirring until it’s all mixed.
Turn out the mixed crust into your pie pan. Press down with your fingers so the mixture covers the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Pat firmly so it sticks together and forms a firm crust.
Bake for about 10 minutes until the crust begins to brown. A tan color is good. Don’t overbake.
Cool before filling.
The crust in this version is not as solidly flaky as a pie crust from flour. It’s more of a cookie crust. It also won’t last long filled with a custard either before it begins to get mushy. The flavor will still be great but don’t plan on making something 2 days ahead and then serving. You’ll want to serve it the same day.
This pairs well with any of the cream or fruit fillings on the site. Also pairs perfectly with the Pumpkin Ice Box Pie.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Pumpkin Ice Box Pie
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
This pie is a breeze to put together for a holiday. No need to bake the filling in the oven. Just 10 minutes to bake the crust and the rest sets up in the refrigerator. EASY! I found an Epicurious recipe that inspired me and then I got to work taking out all of the gluten and most of the sugar. Still tastes holiday ready! BIG YUM!
Servings: Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
- Zola's Snickerdoodle Pie Crust (or use whatever crust recipe you like best)
- 4 ounces of cream cheese softened to room temp (If your cream cheese is cold you can zap it in your microwave on medium for 15 seconds and that will loosen it up to use in a recipe.)
- ¾ cup of pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup of maple syrup
- 1-1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice mix
- ¼ tsp of grated sea salt
- 1 - 2 Tbl of granulated Swerve or ZSweet (These natural sweeteners are perfect for baking. Order them online or watch for them in stores.)
- 1 Tbl of brandy or bourbon (if you don’t cook with alcohol just skip this)
- ¼ cup of water
- 1-3/4 tsp of unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 cup of whipping cream
Optional Topping
- 1 cup of whipping cream
- 1 Tbl of powdered Swerve to sweeten the whipping cream
- 1 tsp of vanilla
Instructions:
Beat the cream cheese and pumpkin puree in a bowl until lightly smooth and fluffy. This will take a good minute. Add the syrup, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and sweetener. Mix with your mixer to get this stirred in. Be sure to wipe down the side of the bowl to get it all mixed in. As far as the sweetener goes, I’d start with one Tbl. Mix that in and taste. Then if you want to add the other Tbl you can. This was sweet enough with one Tbl for 3 of my 4 taste testers but the last one wanted it sweeter. You can decide how your guests will want it.
On your stove use a small saucepan to add the water, gelatin, and optional liquor. Stir over medium heat until the gelatin dissolves. This won’t take even a minute. Set aside for it to cool for 2 minutes and then add it to the pumpkin mixture. Stir it in by hand.
In another bowl, put in the 1/2 cup of whipping cream. Mix with a mixer on high speed until the whipping cream forms stiff peaks. Don’t overbeat or it will start to become butter.
Gently fold the whipping cream into the pumpkin mixture until it’s fully incorporated. I do this with a spatula so I can gently keep turning the mixture over until it folds in and not big streaks of white remain.
Pour this into your cooled crust and smooth the top. Set in your refrigerator to cool and set up. This will take about six hours.
To Top Your Pie:
In a bowl add 1 cup of whipping cream, the sweetener, and the vanilla. Beat on high speed until the cream forms peaks. You can decorate your pie before serving like I did, or you can just serve each piece with a dollop of whipped cream.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Grilled Tuna with an Asian Flair
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Tuna is a hearty piece of fish full of antioxidants and protein. This meal will leave you full and satisfied.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4, 6-8 ounce yellowfin tuna steaks. These are expensive but well worth it.
- ¼ cup of Bragg’s aminos or coconut aminos
- ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice
- 3 tsp of Dijon mustard (or your favorite – no sugar)
- 1 tsp of crushed garlic
Instructions:
Put the tuna steaks in a glass dish. Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl and pour over the tuna. Cover and let rest in your fridge for 30-45 minutes.
Heat the grill or grill pan.
Take the tuna out of the marinade. Toss out the marinade. Grill to your liking. This tuna is so good, most folks just sear it for a minute or two per side and serve it. If you cook it 5 minutes on each side it will be closer to well done. You choose how you like it.
I served this on a simple layer of My Sautéed Purple Cabbage and Pea Pods. All you have to do is spray them with olive oil and cook for a few minutes to loosen them up and heat them. You can even do this on the grill if you use a grilling basket so they don’t fall through the grill.
Enjoy!
Cheers,