Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken Chili
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Add a kick to your weeknight meals. Just let the crock pot do the work and you'll have a South of the border dinner in a cinch.
Servings: Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
- 28 ounces of diced tomatoes (Hunts is a good brand that has no sugar in it. Choose plain or those with added spices.)
- 2 Tbl of chili powder (choose regular or smoked)
- 1 tsp of ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp of grated sea salt
- 1 or 2 large chilies packed in adobo sauce (You'll find these with other Hispanic food items. The can is really small. Save leftovers for another use). Mince the chilies finely. You'll also want to add a little sauce from the can.
- 1-1/2 pounds of chicken breast cut into cubes
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 large Vidalia onion (or choice of onion), diced
- fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions:
Put all ingredients except the cilantro into your slow cooker. Stir to mix them up. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for up to 10 hours.
Garnish with minced cilantro.
Add more spice if you want with a hot sauce of your choice.
1-1/2 cups is a serving. Serve with Fritos and a salad to round out your meal.
For Z3 you can also garnish with grated cheese and sour cream.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Steak Marinade #4
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Summer grilling is not over yet. This one can be done on the grill, in the broiler, or follow my lead to sear it and roast it in your oven. The last option is used by French restaurants who serve steak.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- olive oil spray
- 2 steaks (2, 8 oz beef tenderloin filets are my choice)
- 2 tsp of favorite steak rub - divided (I find one with no sugar)
- 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees or 375 if you have a convection roast.
Spray one side of your steaks. Put them in a bowl or on a plate. Sprinkle with one tsp of your favorite steak rub. Turn the steak over. Spray the other side and sprinkle on another tsp of your favorite steak rub. Pat to make sure the rub is sticking.
Then, finally, drizzle each steak with one tsp of Worcestershire sauce. Cover and let set in your refrigerator for about an hour.
You can then take them out and let them rest for 15 minutes on your counter. (Steak cooks most evenly if you let it get close to room temp before cooking.)
Now, take out a small cast iron pan. Heat it on medium high. When you know the pan is quite hot, add your steaks. Sear on one side at medium high for 3 minutes. This will form a nice crust. Don't mess with them. Just let them crust up. Then turn over.
Now, transfer the cast iron pan to your preheated oven. Cook approximately 12 minutes more or until how you like them. 12 minutes will give you medium rare in most cases. If you have a digital thermometer, cook them to about 119-122 degrees. Take them out. Let them sit for a couple of minutes to reabsorb the juices and then serve.
Hints:
- If you don't have a cast iron pan I highly recommend you buy one. I have 3 sizes; depending on the size of the meal I am making. They are very inexpensive and will last forever. You take care of them and pass them onto your kids and your grandkids. I have my grandmother's pan.
- If you want to grill the steaks you can do it in summer or even winter. Just follow all of the same instructions. Heat, sear for 3 minutes, turn and put on medium, and close the cover. Keep and eye on them depending on charcoal or gas and how hot your grill cooks. My times are approximate.
- Even if you are grilling, letting your steaks come to room temperature is still a good idea.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mexican Chicken Bowl
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This is a quick and easy meal to prepare. You can make it in batches so you get several servings and it travels and reheats in a microwave easily. Mexican food lovers in your family will love this. It's not very spicy. You can always add hot sauce to fire it up.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- olive oil spray
- 3 - 4 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or diced. 24 - 30 ounces total. White meat only for Z2. Z3 can be white and dark. A quick assembly idea for Z3 is to use a rotisserie chicken pre-made at the store and just pull it apart
- 1/2 cup of diced onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (jar garlic can work, but fresh will be better)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 head of escarole, dark outer leaves removed, inner leaves chopped coarsely
- 3 cups Italian canned diced tomatoes or use fresh. Choose your favorite flavor. I used the ones with garlic, onion and green pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- grated sea salt to taste
- 1-1/2 cups of water
- 3/4 cup of organic chicken broth
- 1 to 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (optional)
- 2 cups of baby spinach
Instructions:
In a soup pot, spray the olive oil and add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir on medium until onion wilts.
Then add the cooked chicken, the escarole, diced tomatoes, oregano, water and chicken broth. Cook on medium bubble for about 10 minutes. This will wilt the escarole to a nice chew. It will still have a little bit of bite to it, but it will be tender. Season with salt. Add the vinegar if you choose to use it.
Right before you want to serve, add the spinach. That will wilt immediately.
Serving size is 1-1/2 cups. This is your veggie portion if you are on Z2. You can always have a plain salad on the side.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Stone Fruit Crisp
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. Showcasing some delicious stone fruit, this dessert will add a refreshing zing to your summer.
Servings: Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of stone fruit slices (I used white peaches and apricots)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp of grated sea salt
- 1-1/2 cups of super fine ground almond flour
- 2/3 cup of sugar substitute (ZSweet or Swerve. You can order these online.)
- 2/3 cup melted butter
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
Instructions:
Spray a 9" x 13" pan with butter-flavored cooking spray. Spread the fruit slices in the bottom. Sprinkle the fruit with cinnamon. You'll notice I didn't put an amount for the cinnamon or nutmeg. you get to choose the amount based on your taste. If you've ever made cinnamon toast, you'll know how much cinnamon I put on. It's a dusting
In another bowl combine the eggs, the salt, the sugar substitute, and the almond flour. Use a pastry blender or a fork to get it all mixed up. It will be slightly lumpy and crumbly. Don't worry. Just get it mixed well so the flavors mix and the eggs get distributed.
Pour the mixture over the fruit and spread it from end to end. Some of the fruit might be sticking up through the flour mixture. That's fine. Drizzle the melted butter over the whole thing. It won't cover every bit. That's fine too. Then sprinkle on the dusting of nutmeg.
Pop it in the over at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Watch for a lightly browned crust to appear -- very light brown. As the crisp cools, the topping becomes crusty. That's why they call it "crisp." By the way, I don't cover crisp to store it. If there's any left overnight, I only cover the edge where it was cut because if you cover the crust, it will go from crispy to soggy. It's okay that way; it's just not "crisp." More often than not there won't be leftovers to even concern yourself with.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Italian Grilled Steak with Balsamic Onions
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Get out the grill! This is one way the Italians do steak. I took a Food Network recipe and Zolafied it to come up with this option for a healthy steak dinner.
Servings: Serves 2. Can easily be doubled.
Ingredients:
- 2, 6 ounce beef tenderloin steaks
- 1 package of arugula or a greens mix of your choice
- juice of one half of a lemon
- grated sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Heat your grill to medium high. Lightly spritz your steaks with olive oil spray and season them to your taste with sea salt and pepper. Sear the meat on one side for 3 minutes. Then turn the steak over and grill it to your liking.
When ready to serve, spritz the greens with a bit of olive oil spray. Just enough to make the greens glisten. Toss with a drizzle of lemon juice to your taste. Plate the greens and put the steak on top.
With Plan Z dieting you are not limited in your amount of greens. In the picture you’ll notice I served just a handful.
For the Balsamic Onions
You can use any type of onion for this recipe. The Italians would use cipollini onions. I love cipollinis but I am too lazy to peel them. My grocery store offers what they call bulb onions. They are about the same size as cipollinis and come with the greens sticking out the top. I use those because it’s so easy just to cut off the greens and trim the bottom. They are ready to cook. You could also use pearl onions if you can find those. I get them in the freezer section sometimes. Those will cook faster.
Ingredients:
- 2 bunches of bulb onions or your onion choice. You’re looking for 2 cups cooked in the end
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar
Servings: One serving is 1 cup of onions.
Instructions:
Trim the onions. If using the bulb onions just trim off the greens and toss them. Cut the root bit off the bottom and put them all in a medium sauce pan. Cover with water. Turn on to boil lightly for 10 minutes or until onions are cooked through. (If using pearl onions they will cook faster). Turn off the heat and drain the onions, leaving just a quarter inch of water or even a little less in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle on the Truvia and the balsamic vinegar. Continue to cook on medium low, stirring often, until almost all of the liquid is evaporated. You’ll be left with saucy onions.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Asian Asparagus
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This type of dinner comes together VERY quickly. The flavors of the asparagus make a very simple dinner taste fancy and pairs really nicely with a plain, grilled piece of meat.
Servings: Serve 2, can easily be doubled. 1 cup of asparagus per person.
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of asparagus
- olive oil spray
- 2 Tbl of Bragg’s Aminos
- light dusting of garlic powder
- light dusting of grated sea salt
- light dusting of grated orange peel
Instructions:
Cut your asparagus into about 5” lengths. I save the green parts toward the lower end of the asparagus for stir fry. Toss the woody ends.
Put in an oven-proof pan. Spray with olive oil spray. Drizzle on Bragg’s and toss. Then dust on your spices.
Roast in your oven at 375 for approximately 15 minutes or until done to your liking. The timing depends on how thick your asparagus is. I like mine on the thinner side.
You can also grill this if you’d rather. They cook quickly on the grill.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cinnamon Nut Granola
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. Most granola you buy at the store has about 35-45 grams of carbohydrates per serving. This one has about 9. Your tummy will love this and you’ll be healthier for it.
Servings: One serving is ½ cup
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
- 1 cup of flaxseed meal
- 1 cup chopped cashews
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ cup vanilla whey protein powder
- 1 stick of butter – melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 tsp of ZSweet or Swerve sugar substitute (you can buy both of these on line)
- butter spray
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In order to chop all of the nuts, I use my food processor. I chop each type of nut (except the almonds) and load them into a large bowl. By chopping each of them separately, I don’t end up with any of them pulverized. They stay nice and chunky.
When you have all of the nut types chopped and in the bowl, you can add your coconut and flaxseed meal. Add the cinnamon and whey powder and stir it all up to mix thoroughly. Stir the vanilla into the melted butter. Then drizzle the butter mixture over the nut mixture and stir to mix again. Add the sweetener and give it one more good stir to distribute the sweetener throughout.
Spray a large cookie sheet that has sides on it. Spread your granola mixture over the cookie sheet. Leave any clumps intact. Bake the granola in your oven at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Open the oven and stir the granola every 10 minutes while it’s baking. Then let cool on the cookie sheet. Store in an airtight container.
This makes a great breakfast. Kids love it, too. I mix a ½ cup of granola with a ½ cup of full fat Greek yogurt that I sweetener with a bit of Truvia. Voila. A yogurt parfait.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Spinach Stuffed Roasted Chicken
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe from our dieting friend from Canada…Loretta. A unique way to stuff a chicken and a great dish for the entire family! If you are on ZReduction, you'll eat the white meat (only boneless skinless chicken breasts are allowed on ZReduction). The rest of your family can eat the dark meat.
Servings: Serves 2. The spinach may serve as your vegetable but I found when feeding more than one person on this chicken it wasn't enough because of shrinkage (you could always use more spinach in the roaster). I made green beans with lemon zest, as well as a salad.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole roasting chicken
Stuffing Ingredients:
- 10 oz bag spinach leaves
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 6 oz canned bamboo shoots, diced
- 4 basil leaves, chopped
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Chicken Rub:
- 4 Tbl garlic powder
- 4 Tbl onion powder
- 2 Tbl dried thyme
- 4 Tbl paprika
- 4 Tbl ground celery seed
- 1 Tbl black pepper
- 1 Tbl salt
Instructions:
Mix chicken rub ingredients in a small dish and set aside. Clean out and rinse the chicken. Remove any "chunks" of fat. Gently lift the skin of the breast and put some of the rub under the skin. Then rub the rest all over the chicken, even inside the cavity if you wish.
Empty the bag of spinach into a large bowl. Sauté the onion, garlic, bamboo shoots, red pepper, basil leaves, and celery for just a few minutes til softened. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, cumin and poultry seasoning and mix. Pour over the bowl of spinach and stir together. The spinach will wilt a little but mix well. Stuff chicken as full as you can. Take remaining spinach mixture and lay it in the bottom of the roaster pan and lay the chicken on top. Do not add water or any liquid to pan. The chicken makes its own. Bake in oven at 350 for approximately 1 1/2 hrs. When it is done, the spinach will be well cooked and shrunk down a lot and it will be soaking in the juices of the chicken and the spices.
Loretta's comments on this recipe:
If you are on Z2 – no matter how tempting it may be – remember to remove the skin from the chicken.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Grilled Chicken with Strawberry Salsa
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 skinless chicken breast pieces
- 1-1/2 cups of sliced strawberries
- 1 cup of diced bell pepper (I chose red but you can choose your favorite or even a mixture)
- ½ cup of diced red onion
- ¼ cup of lime juice
- grate of sea salt
Instructions:
To make the chicken cook faster I pounded the chicken flat. To do this I put it in a zip lock bag (you don’t need to seal it) and then I use a meat mallet to pound it down to about 1/3” thick. It also makes you think you are getting more food because it takes longer to eat.
Spray your pounded chicken breasts and grill to your liking. You can grill outside or use a grill pan and do it in the house.
While the chicken is cooking you can make your salsa. Just put all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir. How simple!
Depending on how much salsa you serve for yourself you’ll have to subtract from both your fruit portion and your veggie portion.
Serve the salsa over hot chicken or cold. They both taste great. This is a really nice dish for a hot day.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Steak Marinade #3
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4, 4-6 ounce beef tenderloin filets (or other allowed steak – in Z3 your choices widen to any steak)
- ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup of Worcestershire
- ¼ cup of Bragg’s Aminos
- 2 tsp of Dijon mustard or horseradish mustard
- 2 tsp of minced garlic (jar garlic will work)
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Mix all items except the steaks in a small bowl. Brush the steaks with half of the marinade. Let set to rest on counter for 15 minutes. Meat grills better if it’s not refrigerator cold. Spray lightly with olive oil spray so they don’t stick to the grill or broiler pan.
Heat your grill or broiler. Grill steaks to your liking. A few minutes before they are done, brush on the rest of the marinade and continue grilling until you are ready to serve.
The steaks in the picture were served with shallot onion rings as a garnish. And veggie on the side. You can still have a salad with this too and be within your allotment for ZReduction.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken Pot Pie Bake (for Turkey leftovers, too!)
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. The inside of this pie bake tastes just like Midwest comfort food. You won't even notice the potatoes are missing.
It has just enough carrots to remind you how sweet they are. Same for the peas. The onion, celery and the mushrooms give it the depth of flavor you'll remember from childhood. The topping isn't your average pie crust. This one is low carb. So it's not like a biscuit either. I'm still trying to perfect low carb biscuits, so this is sort of a cross-breed.
You'll have two choices. You can do the crust and it will qualify for Z3 or you can just make the filling and top it off with ONE small, favorite biscuit and live on the wild side. Or even a little ring of baked puffed pastry. But be careful! Be mindful of the carbs.
Ingredients:
For the filling:
- 3 Tbl of butter
- 1 cup of carrot coins. (I use baby carrots and cut them ¼” thick so I keep the carbs down)
- 3 stalks of celery cut into ½” pieces
- 1-2 cups of diced onion (your taste)
- ½ pound of sliced mushrooms (you choose regular or baby bella)
- 1 cup of organic chicken broth (set a little aside)
- 2 tsp of corn starch (dissolve in the broth that you set aside)
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 4 cups of cooked chicken or turkey. Shred or cube it.
- 2 tsp of dried parsley (If you want to make Italian, use Italian seasoning or if you want a French pot pie, use tarragon)
- a whisper of cayenne
- ground sea salt to taste
For the crust on top (optional)
- 2-1/2 cups of SUPER FINE GROUND almond meal/flour
- 3 Tbl of coconut oil (be sure to use coconut and not any other oil)
- 1-½ tsp of baking powder
- ½ cup of powdered egg whites or 2 fresh egg whites
- ¼ tsp of salt (sea salt)
- ½ cup of heavy cream
- ½ cup of half and half
This recipe was originally designed by Laura Dobson. I did some things to Zolafy it. But keep in mind these will not be biscuits; more of a low carb crust. I haven’t quite perfected this yet but it’s good.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large saute pan add the butter. Melt it with the mushrooms, carrots, celery and onions. Toss regularly and cook on medium til the mushrooms just barely begin to brown. In a separate bowl stir the corn starch into a bit (1/4 cup) of broth and set aside, so it dissolves. Bring the temperature up to medium-high. Add the broth and the cornstarch mixture as well as the cream to the pan. Stir to combine and keep stirring periodically until the sauce thickens to your liking. (The longer you boil the cornstarch mixture and cream the more it will thicken). Keep an eye on it though. You just want a light bubble and not a mess boiling over, so you might have to turn the heat back down a bit depending on how powerful your burner is. This only takes a few minutes. Add the chicken. Now seasoning is in order. I sprinkle a whisper of cayenne on to get a little brightness to the flavor. Then add sea salt and black pepper to your taste.
Pour the mixture into your casserole dish.
Now make your biscuit topping.
In a medium bowl add the almond flour and the coconut oil. (The oil will likely be almost solid. That’s just fine). Break up the mixture and toss it around with a fork or a pastry blender until it forms a course meal mix. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to thoroughly combine. Now let the batter sit for 3 – 4 minutes.
Take a soup spoon (a little larger than a regular teaspoon) and put blobs of the biscuit dough across the top of your chicken mixture. Leave a little space in-between because they will spread out as they bake.
Put the casserole (your masterpiece) into your 400 degree oven and bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until the biscuit topping begins to brown.
Remove and let set for a few minutes and then serve. You just don’t want it so hot you burn your mouth.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Dark Cherry Dream
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe. This is a wonderfully light dessert. It comes together in a flash and can be mostly prepared ahead. Serve this to company and be proud. Or save it for you and your family. You deserve to feel special too.
Servings: Serves 6 small portions. Can be doubled easily.
Ingredients:
- 1 can (16 oz) of dark cherries or frozen dark cherries thawed (2 cups)
- 4 tsp of Truvia, divided
- ¼ cup of Grand Marnier or Cointreau (orange liqueur) or if you don’t cook with alcohol you can just skip this or put in ½ tsp of orange flavoring
- 2 cups of full fat (Fage brand will say Total on the label) plain yogurt
- 1 cup of whipped cream
- 4 tsp of vanilla, divided
Instructions:
Open the cherries and drain off almost all of the liquid. (You don’t want the sugar from the syrup). Put them in a small bowl. Add 2 tsp of the Truvia and the liqueur and stir. Let set in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 15 minutes. (I did this hours ahead. You can do it earlier in the day and it will be ready when you want to present dessert).
Combine the yogurt with 2 tsp of vanilla and 2 tsp of the Truvia. Mix well and put this in the refrigerator too.
When ready to serve…
Whip the cream with 2 tsp of the vanilla. (If you own an ISI Whipper you can make the whipped cream ahead too and just keep it in the refrigerator til ready to serve. I love my ISI whipped cream maker!)
Combine the yogurt with the whipped cream. Just gently fold together.
Get out pretty little bowls (or in this case I used antique champagne cups. Put a few soaked cherries in the bottom. Maybe 4. Then put a dollop of cream/yogurt mixture on top. A few more berries. (Each person gets only maybe 7 or 8 cherries). Then another dollop. I squirted a bit of whipped cream on top and then topped it off with another cherry. Voila!
Serve immediately.
Note: This dessert can be made while others are clearing the table.
If you are serving to your kids while they watch TV at night this is MUCH better for them than ice cream and just as grand! It’s not enough liqueur to make anyone tipsy but if you don’t want to serve your kids any alcohol just leave it out and maybe put in a bit more Truvia to sweeten the cherries.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Creamy Pasta Bake with Italian Sausage
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe. This is a dreamy, smooth pasta dish that uses little pasta, but is still big on taste. This dish can be easily doubled and baked in a 9" x 13" pan for a larger crowd.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbl of olive oil
- 1 lb of Italian sausage. I use loose Hot Italian sausage you can choose your favorite or even slice a couple of link sausages into bite-sized pieces. Another option is to take link sausages and cut open the casing and remove the meat.
- 8 oz of assorted mushrooms. I used shiitake and cremini (baby bellas). Both of these mushrooms pack a big flavor punch but you can use any mushrooms you like
- 1/3 cup of diced onion (I used Vidalia)
- 1 tsp of Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp of minced garlic (Jar garlic will do)
- 1-1/2 cups of mascarpone cheese. Look for mascarpone in the fancy cheese section or near the cream cheese. It comes in white, plastic tubs at most places. You'll need one and a half of the 8 oz tubs
- 1/4 cup of half an half
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup of bread crumbs
- 1 Tbl of butter
- 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan
- Enough cooked pasta to cover the bottom of the casserole dish. This can be any kind of pasta you prefer. Rigatoni, penne, macaroni, or even spaghetti. About 1 cup of dry pasta (or less) will be enough when you cook it to cover the bottom of the casserole. This secret is how you keep down the amount of carbs in this dish.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook your pasta in boiling water until done. Drain and set aside. Measure the amount of cooked pasta you will be using by spreading it in the bottom of the casserole dish. No more needed.
While the pasta is cooking you can make your other filling.
In a large saute pan add the olive oil and the sausage. Break up the loose sausage into bite-sized chunks while it browns. When it's about half cooked put in the onion and mushrooms. Saute on medium until the onion is cooked and the mushrooms just begin to brown. Add garlic and Italian seasoning and stir. Add the mascarpone and cream. Heat on low until the mascarpone melts. Stir often to speed up this process. Add your cooked pasta. Stir. Season with grated sea salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into your casserole.
In a small sauce pan add the breadcrumbs and butter. Stir and melt the butter so the crumbs are coated in butter. Take off heat and add the grated Parmesan.
Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the casserole dish.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes so it gets hot and the breadcrumb topping gets crunchy.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Roasted Sea Bass with a Thai Red Curry Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe without the pasta and a Z3.5 recipe with the pasta. Sea bass tastes like a buttery heaven. There is no butter on this fish but you'll swear there is as you eat it. This red curry sauce is NOT spicy. It's just flavorful.
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients:
- six, 6-8 ounce pieces of sea bass
- 2 cups of canned coconut milk (14 oz each)
- 2 cups of crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup of white wine
- 6 Tbl of fresh basil, shredded fine
- 3 Tbl of Thai red curry paste
- 1/2 medium red onion, sliced thinly
- 2 carrots peeled and julienned (this is a very small portion per person) the carrots will produce about a cup of julienned pieces
- 3 stalks of celery cut on an angle to make wedges
- sea salt and pepper
Optional:
- 3 cups of cooked pasta (for Z3.5 and beyond). I used angel hair pasta.
Instructions:
Set oven to 400 degrees. In an oven-proof pan, spray a bit of olive oil spray. Place sea bass pieces on top. Spray tops of fish and grate sea salt and pepper over the top to taste. Roast in oven 15-20 minutes or until the sea bass is completely cooked through. There should be no pinkish flesh. it should be solid white when it's done and flake easily.
While the fish is cooking make your sauce and your pasta.
In a small soup pan add the coconut milk, tomatoes, wine, curry paste and half of the basil. Heat. Then add the onion, carrot and celery. Bring to a bubble and cook for 5 minutes to cook the veggies.
Cook the pasta. If you are using angel hair it only takes about 3 minutes to cook. Drain and get ready to serve.
Ladle sauce into individual bowls. 1 to 1-1/2 cups per person (You may have some sauce leftover depending on how big your bowls for serving are). Top with a 1/2 cup of pasta (optional) and then place your fish on top. Garnish by scattering more basil around the fish.
When you eat it, stir your pasta into your sauce. (optional)
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Harry O's Sweetheart Pizzas
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. Harry O, radio DJ in Mason City, IA offers up his latest ZReboot recipe. Simple, yet delicious.
This recipe requires the use of a pizza oven ($40- $50 at any retail store). You will also need a special pie pan in the shape of a heart (see photo above). If you don't have anything like that, you can use a round pan instead. Make sure your pan is an inch or two deep...something resembling a pie tin (which is what I practiced on). BUT USE A NON-STICK. and for extra slickness I spray it with olive oil spray.
Don't have a pizza oven? You can still make sweetheart pizzas in a conventional oven, but you'll need to get it piping hot. For this recipe to turn out well, its important to make sure you're baking your pizzas between 425 and 450 degrees.
Not used to cooking with that kind of heat? Use this recipe for pizza, Zola style instead.
Servings: Serves 4-6, depending on the size of your pizza pan.
Ingredients:
- Plan Z approved Don's pizza sauce
- Mozzarella cheese
- Your favorite Z3 (ZReboot) approved toppings such as: Italian sausage, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, bacon, ham, garlic, green peppers, olives, etc.
Instructions:
Chop up your meats and saute them on medium heat until they are completely cooked. Take them out of the pan and set them aside. Chop up your veggies and saute them in the same pan, until your veggies are softened, fragrant and have just started to brown along the edges.
Spray your NON-STICK pizza/pie pan with olive oil spray. Then, fill it with at least an inch of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Spread the pizza sauce over the cheese. That's right, you're putting the cheese on the bottom and the pizza sauce on top of it!
Then, add your toppings. As many or as few as you'd like.
Pop your sweetheart pizza into your pizza oven. Cook for 15 to 18 minutes between 425 and 450 degrees.
Take the pizzas out of the oven and let them stand for at least 20 minutes so the cheese will set. Do not touch them. If you cut into them before the cheese firms up, you'll just be stuck with a gooey mess. Once the pizzas have cooled and the cheese has set, run a spatula around the edges of the pan to loosen things up. Gently coax the pizza out of the sauté pan and onto a cutting board. The spatula can be eased underneath so you can tilt the pan and it should slide out easily. My last 5 tries slid right out of the pan; if you use pristine care you will get yourself a great looking pizza every time. It resembles a baked cheese look if you ever have ever eaten that delicacy...YUM!
Harry O
KLSS-FM
French Country Creamy-Cheesy Chicken Casserole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. This tastes like a little bit of France in your home. This one has pasta in it so it hits Z3.5. If you make it without pasta you could have it earlier in Z3. All the directions will stay the same if you make the Z3 version simply omit the pasta.
Servings: Serves 6 - 8
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of pre-cooked chicken. If you are in a hurry you can take a plain rotisserie chicken, remove the skin and cut or shred the chicken for the dish. Otherwise cook your chicken choice and then cut it up or shred it.
- 1 package of Allouette cheese (I use herbs and garlic flavor) or Boursin. These are in the nice cheese section. The Allouette comes in a carton. The boursin is packaged in a foil wrapper.
- ½ cup of diced shallots or onions
- 2 Tbl of butter
- 8 oz of sliced mushrooms (you can use button or your choice)
- ½ cup of chicken broth
- 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbl of fresh tarragon, minced (or for an Italian version you can use Italian seasoning – 2 tsp. For dried tarragon use approx 1-1/2 tsp or to your taste)
- ½ cup of frozen baby peas
- 2 – 3 cups of egg noodles, cooked. (Measure them dry and then cook. You need just enough to cover the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan. Egg noodles are slightly less carby than regular pasta, and more of a country taste)
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- cayenne (optional)
- ½ cup of grated parmesan
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook your noodles in boiling water. When they are done, drain. You can make the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
In butter, on medium, cook the shallots and mushrooms in a large saute pan until the mushrooms just begin to brown on the edges. Only a few minutes.
Add the Allouette cheese and the chicken broth as well as the lemon juice. Break up the cheese blobs and stir so it melts. Keep heat on medium or lower. Add the tarragon and prepared chicken. Add the peas directly from the freezer. Stir. Taste and season with grated sea salt and pepper. I always add just a whisper of cayenne to brighten the flavor, but this is optional.
Put your drained pasta in the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan oiled with olive oil spray. Pour the chicken mixture over. Stir.
Top with shredded Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake 20 – 30 minutes at 375 degrees until piping hot. Let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes so you don’t scald your mouth.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Jalapenos
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. I used to HATE Brussels sprouts. I could not even stand the smell of them cooking. Today the Brussels sprouts you buy in the store are sweeter than they used to be. They don’t smell anywhere near as bad as they used to either. I love them now, as long as they are caramelized. That means I want them cooked until a golden brown; almost charred on the edges. That brings out the sweetness. This version is spicy!
Serving Size: Serves 2
- 15 Brussels sprouts, halved,
- 1 small jalapeño, sliced
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- olive oil spray
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Heat a medium sauté pan. Use your cast iron pan if you have one. Spray Brussels sprouts with olive oil spray. Put the Brussels sprouts and jalapeño in the sauté pan, and cook stirring every 2-3 minutes.
After about 9 minutes have passed and the Brussels sprouts are deeply golden and caramelized, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Pizza Scrambled Eggs
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. VP Anger Management, Chris Lytle offers up his latest breakfast creation.
I love to sauté some red or sweet onions in butter and then add some eggs that I've whirred in my Magic Bullet for 30 seconds with some coconut milk. This morning, I was rummaging through the refrigerator and found some pepperoni slices, shredded mozzarella cheese and some fire-roasted pizza sauce. You don't have to be the Chopped Champion to figure out what to do with that combination.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbl butter
- 1 slice of red onion, diced
- 2-3 slices of pepperoni, diced
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tbl unsweetened coconut milk (So Delicious brand)
- 2-3 Tbl pizza sauce (no sugar)
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
In a small sauté pan melt butter. Add onion and pepperoni and stir. Sauté over medium heat until the onions soften. I like to crack the eggs into the small Magic Bullet cup and add 2 Tbl coconut milk. Blend for 30 seconds in your Magic Bullet or blender.
Add egg and coconut milk mixture to pan and stir to get onions and pepperoni distributed. Cook on medium lifting edges and tilting pan to get the liquid at the top to go to bottom of the pan. As eggs firm up, sprinkle mozzarella on top of them.
At this point the eggs looked like a frittata (flat with cheese on top). The pizza sauce had just come out of the refrigerator, so I moved a section of the eggs to the side and poured the cold pizza sauce in the gap to warm it up for couple of minutes in the hot pan.
Slide the eggs and pizza sauce out of the pan and onto a plate.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken Milano
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Normally Chicken Milano is a pasta dish. This one makes a rich, sundried tomato ‘gravy’ to go with plain chicken breasts. You’ll never miss the pasta. Promise.
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 6 chicken breast halves, skinless
- 2 tsp of garlic powder, divided
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of sundried tomatoes cut into dice (use the DRY ones, not the ones packaged in oil)
- 2 cups of organic chicken broth
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 4 Tbl of basil chiffonade (cut fresh basil into thin strips for garnish)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large sauté pan add a bit of olive oil spray to coat the pan. Heat. Sprinkle your chicken breasts with a bit of the garlic powder. (You’ll use the rest in the sauce). Grate on a bit of sea salt and pepper.
Put the chicken breasts unseasoned side down in the pan. Cook on medium high for two minute to get a light brown. Then turn over and cook one more minute to lightly brown the other side. Transfer to an oven proof pan and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken is baking you can make your sauce. In a medium sauce pan, add about a ¼ cup of the chicken broth. Then put in the tomatoes and the garlic powder. Stir and begin cooking to loosen the tomato. Then add the rest of the chicken broth and cook on medium – high to a light boil to reduce the sauce and thicken it a bit. Don’t let it boil over. Turn down if necessary. 10 minutes total. Now add your cream and stir. Keep on medium and let the cream begin to thicken. Stir often. You want it to coat the back of a spoon. If it’s done before the chicken, turn off and let set. Don’t boil again. If you need to reheat it, keep it on low to do so.
(optional)… I put half of my sauce in a small blender to puree it. If you do this be very careful when blending hot liquids. You can also just leave it as it was. Both will taste great. If you blend half, then add it back to the other sauce and stir to combine).
Each dieter gets 2 – 3 Tbl of sauce (remember your cream allotment for the day is 4 Tbl so I am factoring in that maybe you had some with your coffee). There will be extra sauce so non-dieters can have more. This is a rich sauce so if you are a dieter you won’t feel deprived.
Garnish with the basil chiffonade.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
P.S. Your veggie allotment will be just under one cup. You need to factor in that you’ve got some sundried tomatoes in your sauce.
Chinese – American Stir Fry
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This is an easy way to satisfy and Asian food craving. It’s also a great way to clean out the refrigerator! You can use many types of veggies with this dish. I've listed some options for you below and you can just pick or check your allowed food list to find even more options you might like.
One trick to the best stir fry is to have all of your chopping done before you begin. This all comes together really fast.
This is NOT a spicy dish. You can add hot sauce or hot pepper flakes to the dish when cooking or when serving. I do it this way so each person can make it as spicy as they want.
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients:
For the base sauce
- 1 cup of dried, sundried tomatoes chopped to bits
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 4 tsp of crushed ginger ( jar ginger will work fine)
For the chicken nuggets
- 2 pounds of skinless chicken breast pieces cut into 1” cubes
- cayenne to taste
For the veggie stir fry
- 6 – 8 cups of chopped veggies. The greens do not count in your veggie portion and those who are not on Plan Z can have extra veggies so I cook up a lot. One dieter portion is one cup of veggies.
You can choose an assortment of veggies. This time mine included: baby bok choy, white onion, red, yellow and orange peppers, prepared cabbage slaw, celery, asparagus bits (when I make asparagus sprigs I keep the bottom third and use the green parts to cut into bite-sized pieces. Then toss the brown parts at the bottom) cherry tomatoes.
You might also like: green beans cut into bite sized bits, green pepper, green onions (scallions) shredded napa cabbage, a few water chestnut slices (careful with these. High carb) baby spinach more…just make sure they are on the approved list. I would not use Chinese eggplant in this dish, or cucumbers.
- 3 Tbl of Bragg’s aminos (or soy sauce if you don’t have it)
Instructions:
Make your sauce first:
In a medium sauté pan, add about ¼ cup of the chicken broth and start to heat it up. Add the sundried tomato bits. Loosen them up and add the ginger. Cook on medium high at a low bubble just for a few minutes to start it thickening. Turn off and set aside.
For your chicken:
While the sauce is cooking you can do your chicken. Lightly spray a large sauté pan and put in the chicken nuggets. Dust LIGHTLY (or to taste) with cayenne. Sauté until cooked through and no pink remains. Cover to keep warm. Set aside.
For the veggies:
For six people you’ll need one very large sauté pan or maybe two smaller ones. Spray lightly with olive oil and begin heating the pan. Put in your crunchier veggies first. They take longer to cook. So I put in things like onion, peppers, celery and bok choy first. When hot squirt in 2 – 3 Tbl of Bragg’s aminos. Stir and stir fry on medium for a few minutes until the veggies are just loosened up. Then add the sundried tomato sauce and stir to mix. Keep on medium for another minute and then add the delicate veggies like the cabbage, the tomatoes and things like spinach or napa cabbage. Continue to turn with a tong to mix it all up. It will only take one more minute to cook. Or to your taste. I like my veggies to still have a bit of crunch.
Turn off.
To serve, spoon the veggies and sauce in the bowl. Then add your chicken on top. You can stir it all together if you want. Add any heat (hot sauce or pepper flakes) and stir again.
Enjoy!
Cheers,