Mushroom-Tomato Pesto Medley
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Servings: This recipe will make plenty. You'll have enough for a side dish for six or enough to generously stuff 6 omelets.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb sliced button mushrooms
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 bunches of green onions, cleaned and diced (use some of the green part too)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 to 4 Tbsp prepared pesto (buy at the store or make your own using my pesto recipe)
Instructions:
Melt the butter and heat the oil in a large sauté pan on medium. Add the mushrooms. When they are half cooked (loose and giving off their liquid-about 3 minutes), add the green onions. Cook until mushrooms are cooked and starting to brown on the edges (3 to 4 minutes more). Add the cherry tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Now you're just heating the tomatoes. Don't go too far or you'll just shrivel up your tomatoes. Add the pesto and turn off the heat. Stir in the pesto and you're done. Add a pinch of cayenne if you want more zip, but this optional.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Big Mac Sauce, “Zola-fied”
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. When I traveled overseas on business the only thing I missed about the US was a Big Mac. It's funny I didn’t even eat them that often while I was at home!
So, how do you recreate that 'secret sauce?' After lots of experimenting, I found it! For those missing their Big Mac, here’s the secret to the sauce! I “Zola-fied” the recipe, and now you can try it too. This recipe is for one burger, but you could make a bigger batch of this and keep it in your refrigerator. Should keep about 4 days if you use fresh onion and longer than a week if you use the dried minced onion.
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing
- 1/8 teaspoon Truvia
- 1/8 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon finely minced onion or 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
Instructions:
Mix and store in the refridgerator. Re-stir if you are using it later to make sure the vinegar doesn’t separate from the sauce.
Just grill your burger, put on the other fixins you want and slather this sauce on. If you want to be authentic do 2 ¼ lb. burgers and slather a bit on each patty when cooked. You don’t need the bun, just layer on the special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion.. on no bun. Sing it!
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipes. Dieter Kurt offered up this recipe for a versatile sauce. If you like zing you’re going to love this sauce. In the Kurt household they love it on pork and “Mrs Kurt” even uses it as salad dressing. It’s quick and easy. Whiz some up for yourself.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 large jalapenos,seeded and coarsely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons minced white onion
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions:
In a blender, purée the jalapeños, garlic, ginger, onion, pepper flakes, lime juice and water until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and cilantro and pulse a few times.
Season with salt and serve.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Broccoli Chicken Casserole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Dieter Amy submitted this great recipe. This is what she had to say about it,
"This turned out really well and my kids loved it. I think next time instead of just softening the cream cheese I may melt it so it’s creamier. I would say it serves 2-4 depending on how big of an appetite you have. It sounds like it would turn out like quiche but it really is more casserole-ish. I also eyeballed the amount of chicken since it’s reboot so I may have used more than 2 cups."
Thanks for the recipe Amy!
Serves: 2-4 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 Tbl butter
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups frozen broccoli
- 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
- salt and pepper
- olive oil cooking spray
- 1 large tomato (optional)
- 1 cup of shredded cheese (white cheddar, colby jack, Gruyere, whatever suits your fancy)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soften cream cheese and melt butter. Mix together. Gradually add in the eggs. Make sure butter/cream cheese isn’t too hot or the eggs will scramble. Next stir in shredded, cooked chicken and broccoli. Add salt and pepper to your own individual tastes.
Spread the mixture into a lightly oiled 9" x 9" baking dish (or equivalent). If your are including cheese, add the sliced tomato and then sprinkle the cheese over the chicken/broccoli mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until the eggs are set.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mediterranean Chicken
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe submitted by Plan Z dieter Efrem. He came up with this recipe on the fly and I’d like to recommend it as a Z3 international treat.
Servings: Serves 2 (can be doubled)
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts or 12 - 16 oz of chicken tenders
- 1/4 cup of plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
- 2 Tbl finely chopped onions (optional)
Instructions:
In a small bowl, mix all of the spices (and onions if using them) into the yogurt and blend well. Use a spatula to transfer the marinade into a large plastic baggy.
Put your chicken breasts in the baggy, seal it up, and flip the chicken around, coating them completely in the yogurt marinade. Let marinate in your fridge for at least 1 hour. If you have a lot of time before dinner, I'd recommend leaving them in the marinade for at least 4 or 5 hours for the best results.
Grill the chicken breasts on a hot grill or in your grill pan. You'll want to coat either cooking surface with a few good sprays of olive oil spray to keep the chicken from sticking to the cooking surface.
The yogurt marinade will bake onto the outer layer of the chicken so watch your cooking times. This baked outer layer will seal in a lot of the juices, so be careful not to overcook the chicken (you'll wind up with some really nice grill marks and a dryer looking outer surface, but the inside will still be moist).
This dish goes really well with a side of grilled or roasted red onions, garlic, and tomatoes drizzled with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with the smallest pinch of oregano.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe. When you get into the second portion of ZReboot you can start to experiment with a little more carbohydrates.
The normal enchilada recipe would use 6 – 8 whole tortillas to wrap and enchilada filling. In this version you are feeding six to eight people with just 3 tortillas. You just won’t notice that your enchiladas are no longer wrapped. This tastes just as great.
This recipe adds low-carb tortillas and a few beans. Both of them have more carbs than you are used to on ZReduction, but if your body isn’t overly resistant to them your weight will remain even when you eat this entrée. Try this at week 4 – 6 of ZReboot and see how you do. You’ll be amazed at how few beans you really need to get the bean experience. Your body has not had them in so long the taste of them will really jump out at you.
Servings: Serves 6 - 8
Ingredients:
- 3 low carb tortillas (the 8” size). Watch for the ones specifically marked low carb. They are pretty prevalent now.
- 8 oz can of pinto beans, drained (or half of a regular 15 oz can).
- 3 – 4 chicken breast halves. Poached and shredded*
- 4 oz can of diced chilies in a can
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 8 oz of shredded cheddar
- light dusting of cayenne or to taste
- ¼ tsp of chili powder (or to taste)
- 10 oz of enchilada sauce
- 4 oz of Mexican cheese blend
Instructions:
Get out your 9" x 13" casserole and spray it lightly with olive oil. Place the 3 low-carb tortillas in the bottom to cover the bottom and partially up the sides.
Add half of the beans and spread them across the bottom
Then add half of the onion and half of the shredded chicken. Add all of the chilies. Spread them over the chicken. Add the cayenne and the chili powder. Top with 8 oz of shredded cheddar. Add the second half of the chicken and onions. Coat the top of the casserole with the enchilada sauce. Then sprinkle the last 4 oz of Mexican cheese blend on top.
Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When baked, take it out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes while it cools down a bit. This makes it easier to cut and your slices will hold together better.
*Poaching and shredding chicken.
Put the chicken breast in a large sauté pan. Cover them just to the top with water. Place on stove and bring to a boil. Then turn down to a medium boil and let them cook for 10 minutes. At the 10 minute point turn them over and cook the other side. The chicken is done when you cut into it and no pink remains. Then remove them to a cutting board. Toss out the liquid. If you have time, let them cool off. Your next step is to take out two dining forks and begin shredding the chicken. You use one fork to hold down the chicken and you use the other one to tug at it and pull shreds of chicken away from the whole. You can do this with precision and have the whole mass fully shredded or you can let some of it have bites of chicken that are more solid. That’s up to your taste.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Tandoori Chicken Skewers
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) and Zola To Go! recipe
To prep for this dish soak your wooden skewers in water for 15 or 20 minutes to they will be wet and won’t burn on the grill. Or use metal skewers.
This a very easy Indian food option. If you want it very mild you can reduce the amount of chili powder or add cayenne if you want it spicier. Full of flavor. This is great on a hot evening. It can also be served cold.
Servings: Serves 2 – 3. Can be doubled easily.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp of ground cumin
- 1 tsp of ground coriander
- 1 tsp of ground turmeric
- 1-1/2 tsp of chili powder
- 1 tsp of ground cardamom
- 1 tsp of ground pepper
- 1 cup of full fat plain yogurt
- grated sea salt
- 1 pound of chicken breast pieces (usually 3 per package)
- olive oil spray
- 1 Tbl of fresh mint, minced
Instructions:
In a bowl, combine the six spices with ½ cup of the yogurt. Stir well. Cut the chicken breasts into long strips about ½ “ wide each or even chunks. Up to you. Thread them onto the skewers. Spread the yogurt/spice mixture over the chicken on all sides. It will be pretty goopy. Let marinate in your refrigerator; ideally 2 hours but I have been short on time and just done it 15 minutes in a pinch.
Heat grill to medium high (or grill pan). Spray with olive oil spray to minimize sticking. Grill the chicken until it’s cooked through. Depending on the size of your pieces it usually only take about 10 minutes max. This will also depend on how hot your grill cooks. Turn them as necessary. Some grill marks are nice but you don’t want to burn them.
Mix the other half of the yogurt with the mint stirred in. This is your “dip.”
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Italian Chicken and Pepperoni Casserole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. This will remind you of a No-Noodle lasagna. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal or when you want to take a casserole to an event.
Servings: Serves 6 - 8
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbl of olive oil, divided
- 3 chicken breast halves cut into strips.
- 2 oz of pepperoni cut into narrow matchstick slices
- 15 oz of ricotta cheese (or full fat cottage cheese if you prefer)
- 1 Tbl of Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp of minced garlic (jar garlic will work)
- 2 handfuls of baby spinach
- 8 oz of shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 14 oz of spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce (try to find one with no sugar in it)
- 4 oz of grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
In a large sauté pan add one tablespoon of olive oil. Heat the oil and add the chicken. Cook the chicken strips on medium high until the chicken is lightly browned. Don’t worry that it’s not cooked in the middle.
While the chicken is browning take out your 9" x 13" ovenproof pan. Put the spinach in the bottom.
Mix the ricotta cheese with the Italian seasoning and the garlic. Then spread half of that over the spinach. Just sort of mix it around. It can be messy and won’t matter. When the chicken is done, spread half of it over the spinach mixture. Then scatter half of the mozzarella on top. Scatter half of the pepperoni. Pour over half of the spaghetti sauce. Drizzle the last tablespoon over the top.
Now make another layer. This time add the chicken, ricotta, mozzarella, pepperoni and then the sauce. Top it all off with the grated Parmesan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and the chicken is cooked all the way through. Then stick it under the broiler for a minute or two so the cheese can get nice and toasty. Let rest for 5 – 10 minutes before cutting so it can firm up and chill down a bit. Otherwise you can burn the roof of your mouth.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken Poblano Casserole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. I invented this casserole as a “Plan B” option. I went to the store thinking I was going to make stuffed poblanos but the chilies were all so small I just bought a bunch of them and went home. I got inspired as I began cooking. This is an amazingly simple and scrumptious result. It’s not spicy; you just get a nice warm tingle from the chilies.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 Cups poblano chilies.
- 1 lb of chicken breast strips or chicken tenderloins
- 1 cup of Boursin (I used garlic and herb flavor). You can choose your own or use any type of soft cheese like goat (chevre).
- 2 cups of grated Monterey Jack or other mild cheese. I used a Mexican blend. Even Cheddar will work.
- 1 whole red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large shallot (or small onion), minced
- 3 Tbl of minced fresh cilantro
- ½ cup of raisins (optional, but raisins are an unexpected delight in this dish)
Instructions:
Cut the poblano chilies open and remove the core and seeds. Cut the peppers into chunks.
Place them in the bottom of a 9" x 13” ovenproof pan.
Put the Boursin on next. Do this in dollops so it’s evenly distributed across the peppers.
Add 1 cup of the shredded cheese on top and then add the red peppers. Scatter those.
Grease a grill pan or sauté pan and cook your chicken strips until almost no pink remains. Once cooked cut them into bit sized pieces. Then pile those on top of the peppers. (You can start the chicken first if you are good at doing more than one thing at once.)
Toss on your raisins and the cilantro. Scatter on the last cup of the shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The whole mess will be bubbling. Give it a few minutes to calm down and serve.
You can have this with a salad. We had some guacamole on the side and a few chips -- just a FEW. I found some good low carb ones that come in at about 6 carbs for 4-6 chips.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Lemon-Roasted Turkey Breast with Ratatouille
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. The seasoning on the top of this turkey breast comes from a great guy in Door County named Curt. He makes his own seasoning and sells it in a store and online. His web site is www.spiceguy.com. The first time I had Curt's spice mix it was sprinkled on a bowl of tomato soup in a little restaurant in Door County. Talk about making tomato soup go to a whole new level! Zing! It's really good. I don't know Curt but I'm happy to recommend his products.
If you don't want to use Curt's, no problem. You can use any spice rub - Cajun, French, you name it. All will work well with the lemon.
You can also grill the turkey, in case you don't want your oven on for two hours. Follow the directions for grilling turkey breast in your favorite cookbook.
I'm including an optional, easy lemon sauce for those who want to jazz it up even more.
Servings: Serves 4+ depending on portion sizes
Ingredients:
Lemon-Roasted Turkey Breast
- 1 4-lb (approximately) BONE-IN turkey breast
- butter spray
- Curt's Seasoning
- 5 to 6 thin lemon slices (peel on)
(See below for optional lemon sauce for the lemon-roasted turkey breast)
Ratatouille
- 2 Japanese eggplants cut into one-inch cubes. Do not bother to peel the eggplant. If you can't get Japanese eggplant, just get regular small ones.
- 2 green zucchini, cut into one-half inch slices
- 12 large mushrooms, cleaned and cut in half, top to bottom
- 12-oz jar roasted red peppers, cut into one-half inch wide strips
- 6 large shallots, peeled and cut in half
- 16 cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 heaping tsp Italian herb mix
- 2 Tbl balsamic vinegar glaze (aged balsamic vinegar will also work)
Lemon Sauce for the Lemon-Roasted Turkey Breast (optional)
- 4 Tbl butter, melted
- 3 tsp grated lemon rind
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions:
Lemon-Roasted Turkey Breast
Gently loosen the skin over the breast so you can insert the lemon slices. There's usually a hole somewhere where you can get your fingers in and then just coax them up so you loosen the skin on the whole breast. Slide in the lemon slices so they sit next to each other covering the breast. They will lie under the skin, and the skin will hold them in place. Approximately 3 slices per side will do it.
Stand the breast bone-side down in a large roasting pan. You want it to balance on the breastbone. I use a large, deep lasagna pan so I have plenty of room around the breast for the side dish. If you need to, you can do the side dish in another pan.
Spray the turkey breast with the butter spray. Sprinkle on the Curt's spice blend. I cover the breast pretty generously. This is not a hot spice, just a real flavorful blend.
Ratatouille
If you use the large eggplants, you'll have to seed them. Place the eggplant pieces on a paper towel and lightly sprinkle salt over them. Set aside while you prep the rest of the veggies.
Prep your remaining veggies. Then toss all of the vegetables (including the eggplants) around the turkey. Mix them up so you have a good variety all around the turkey breast. Drizzle on the olive oil and the Italian herbs. Keep the vinegar out for now.
Roast the turkey and the vegetables at 350 degrees for 2 hours. If you use a meat thermometer, keep an eye on it and roast your turkey to 190 degrees. At the 2-hour mark, stir the veggies and check the thermometer. You should be ready or just about ready to take out the turkey.
When the turkey is finished, take the turkey out of the pan and put it on a carving board. Drizzle on the vinegar or glaze on the veggies. Put the veggies in the turned-off oven so they stay warm.
The turkey should sit for 10 minutes while you make the sauce. This causes the juices to soak back into the turkey, keeping it moist.
Lemon Sauce for the Lemon-Roasted Turkey Breast (optional)
Mix the butter, lemon rind and lemon juice in a pan or a heatproof measuring cup and keep warm until you want to drizzle it over the turkey slices.
Carve the turkey, put the ratatouille on the side, drizzle the turkey with lemon sauce and you're ready to serve.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Everything from the Fridge Chicken Soup
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe contributed by Plan Z dieter, Riley. Riley rocked her refrigerator to come up with this one. Riley says, "I call it this because I was looking for a way to use up leftovers and dibs and dabs and winter in Nebraska is a great time for soups. Family loves them." Way to go Riley!
Servings: Serves 12 - 14
Each serving is 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
- 1/2 orange pepper, chopped
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon original Ms. Dash table blend
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 strips bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
- spinach leaves… optional
Instructions:
Melt the butter in a soup pot, then add the onion, peppers and mushrooms and stir around over medium heat for a few minutes to soften.
Season with the Ms. Dash and Italian seasoning.
Add the chicken broth and cooked chicken and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
Stir in the whipping cream, sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Serve in bowls with crumbled bacon on top.
My husband and I put fresh spinach leaves at the bottom of our soup bowls and let the hot soup wilt them.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Classic Coleslaw
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe which is SUPER easy! The only trick to coleslaw is to make it ahead. The flavors need some time to develop. A few hours is enough, and it will keep well in the fridge for days afterwards, if you have leftovers.
Most coleslaw dressing you find in the store is chock-full of sugar. This one is just about as easy to make as the other stuff is to pour out of the jar. And healthier.
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of shredded cabbage (about 4 – 5 cups). Some bags will have some shredded carrots in there for color too.
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- 3 Tbl of apple cider vinegar
- 1 large shallot minced (or ½ cup of minced onion)
- 1 – 2 tsp of celery salt
- 1 – 1-1/2 cups of mayonnaise. I use mayo made with olive oil rather than the stuff made with canola or soybean oil.
- Grated black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Put all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until mixed. The amount of celery salt you use will be based on your taste. I like the 2 tsp for myself. The same goes for the mayo. The creamier you like your slaw the more mayo you’ll put in. I like a lot of grated black pepper in coleslaw too. I literally want to see the black bits.
You don’t see me eating a lot of French fries anymore. I have grown to love this with a burger, a brat or a hotdog.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Feta-Topped Chicken
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe contributed by Plan Z dieter Nan. Nan wrote: “Bruce and I had this last night with a salad and I was blown away! YUMMY.”
Nan sent the recipe to us so you can all share in her yummy discovery.
Servings: Serves
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless chicken breast halves
- 2 Tbl balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp grated black pepper
- 1 large Roma tomato, cut into slices (optional)
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (about 1 oz)
Instructions:
Set oven to broil.
Brush both sides of chicken with dressing. Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning and pepper. Place on broiler rack.
Broil chicken with tops 4 inches from heat, about 10 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center or thickest part is cut (170 degrees). Top with tomato and cheese. Broil 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is lightly browned.
Feta cheese also comes in a variety of flavors, such as sun dried, basil or cracked pepper. Any of these would also be delicious. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Italian Mushroom Chicken
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup of vinaigrette. Make your own or use an organic one in a pinch. I used a sun-dried tomato version. A balsamic would work well or any of your favorite savory vinegars. I would not make this with a fruit vinegar.
- 1 lb of fresh mushrooms cut into quarters
- 4 Tbl of chopped sundried tomatoes (the ones in oil)
- 2 cups of shredded cheese. Use your favorite. I’d recommend provolone with this dish but you can also use gruyere, mozzarella or another favorite.
- olive oil and butter
- basil for garnish
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Put your chicken breasts in a large, plastic zip lock bag. Pour in ½ cup of the vinaigrette. Let the chicken sit and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum or up to 12 hours.
Spray your grill pan with olive oil. Take your chicken out of the bag and grill your chicken on one side until you have nice stripes. Toss out that marinade.
When the chicken in brown on the one side, transfer it to an oven proof pan and continue cooking by baking it until no pink remains. This will be 20- 30 minutes depending on how big the breast halves are. Mine in this picture were so huge they made four servings!
While the chicken is roasting, add a bit of butter (1 Tbl or your taste) to a sauté pan. Add the mushrooms and begin to cook them until they are a teeny bit browned on the edges. Then add the sun-dried tomato bits and the vinaigrette. Continue cooking until the mushrooms and the sauce are hot.
When the chicken is done remove it from the oven. Put the mushrooms on top (don’t worry if some roll off) and then cover each portion with cheese. I cut my massive breasts in half before I did the cheese topping.
Put back into the oven until cheese melts. If you want a crust on your cheese you can put it under the broiler for a minute. Watch it though. It won’t take long to get brown.
Garnish with basil if you choose.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken Anna Maria Allberghetti “Zolafied” (aka Chicken Parmesan)
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. I originally came across a recipe similar to this in an Italian cookbook made up of recipes from Italian movie stars. Anna Maria Allberghetti offered her family’s recipe. I have adapted it to the ZReboot portion of Plan Z. It’s wonderful. It’s perfect for serving to guests too. A nice dinner party. Italians of course serve this with pasta. We served it with green beans and never missed the spaghetti.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4, 6 - 8 oz chicken breasts. Try to eat the organic ones that have not been fed hormones.
- ½ cup of crumbs made from grinding up Melba toast or breadsticks
- 1 Tbl of butter or ghee
- 2 Tbl of olive oil
- 1 egg broken onto a plate and then stirred with a fork to break it up.
- garlic powder and sea salt
- 26 oz jar of marinara sauce. Get one that has only fresh ingredients in it. No preservatives.
- ½ cup of whipping cream
- 12 slices of baby swiss cheese
- 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions:
To prepare your work surface you need to set up a bit of a production line. Take two dinner plates and put the egg on one and the crumbs on the other.
Then take out your large sauté pan and put in the butter and oil. I learned a very important lesson from this recipe years ago. The butter and olive oil recipe works wonders to keep the butter from burning. And it tastes great so I use this technique often.
Heat the butter and oil. Sprinkle your chicken with the garlic powder and sea salt. Then dip your chicken in the egg on both sides and then lightly into the crumbs on both sides. Then place top down in the butter/oil combo. Do this with all 4 pieces of chicken. Saute on medium until the chicken is lightly golden on both sides.
While the chicken is browning you can take out your 9" x 13" ovenproof pan and pour in the marinara sauce. Add the cream and stir until the cream is all blended in.
When the chicken is golden on the outside place it top up on top of the sauce. Don’t worry that it’s not cooked through yet. You are going to bake it.
On top of the chicken place 2 or 3 slices of cheese. Do this for each breast.
Cover lightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 – 30 minutes (depends on how big your chicken breast pieces are). Remove from oven and cut one open a bit to make sure there’s no pink left in the chicken. If there is, put it back in the oven for a few minutes more.
Then remove the aluminum foil and add the parmesan cheese on top of the chicken. Just mound it.
Place back in the oven for 10 minutes to melt and firm up the Parmesan cheese. It makes a bit of a stiff crust.
Serve with your veggies for a fine meal.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Barbecue Chicken - Z3 Style
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. There’s no way to use a commercial sauce for barbecued meats. They ALL have copious amounts of sugar in them. I know. I checked every bottle in the store, so I set about to come up with a rub and a sugarless barbecue sauce for Plan Z.
There are three stages to making chicken this way. The Rub. The Chicken. The Sauce. If you are not a major cook don’t worry. This looks harder than it is. Stick with this and you’ll love your chicken.
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients:
For The Rub:
- ½ tsp of smoked paprika
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- 1 pkt of Truvia
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp of celery salt
- 1 tsp of dry mustard
For the Barbecue Sauce:
Ingredients:
- 1 small onion minced
- 1 clove of garlic minced (you can use jar garlic)
- 1 tsp of liquid smoke
- 6 oz of tomato paste
- 1 cup of white wine or low carb beer (or water if you are on Z2)
- ¼ cup of tomato sauce
- 1 Tbl cider vinegar (or a bit more of you like your sauce to have a vinegar bite)
- 3 Tbl of dry mustard
- 2 pinches of pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 tsp of Truvia (stevia)
- hot sauce to taste
For the Chicken:
- 6 split, boneless chicken breasts
- olive oil spray
Instructions for The Rub:
Mix all of these together in a bowl. If you want you can make double and it will keep in your cupboard in a sealed container.
Instructions for the Barbecue Sauce:
Put the onions in a sauce pan. Heat on medium until the onions wilt. Then add the garlic. Stir to heat. Add the other ingredients and cook on medium for 15 – 20 minutes to blend the flavors.
Instructions to prepare the Chicken:
Get your charcoals going so they're nice and hot. If you use a gas grill, you'll want to get your grill heated up a bit before cooking up your burger patties. If you're using a grill pan indoors, spray it with a little bit of olive oil spray and heat the pan on medium high.
Wash and dry the chicken breasts (use a paper towel or two to soak up the excess water from the chicken breasts after you rinse them off).
Lightly coat each side of your chicken breasts with a bit of olive oil spray, then lightly coat each side with the Barbecue rub. You can let the rub soak in for a little while or you can or grill them right away.
Grill your chicken for about six to eight to ten minutes per side, making sure there isn't any pink inside of the breasts. You want to get a nice crust on each side to seal in the juices (the rub will help form this crust better on a charcoal or gas grill).
Brush a couple of tablespoons of the barbecue sauce on each side of the chicken breasts just a few (two to three) minutes before you're ready to pull them off of the grill.
Check the flavor and make personal adjustments as you please. Some people like spicier chicken so you can add a dash of Tabasco sauce to spice it up a bit.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken Dijon with Asian Broccoli
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. This is a take-off of a famous, old, traditional menu. I've just skimmed all the fat out of it. I hope I didn't take away all the fun or the flavor in the process. Think of this as sort of an old Vietnamese recipe - a marriage of the times when the French ruled Vietnam and their cuisines became intertwined. The side is really a healthy, simple and different dish. It also introduces your children or maybe your significant other to bok choy if they have not had it before!
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless chicken breast halves -- remember, a full breast is both halves. You're only having one side, up to 7 oz each.
- garlic powder to taste
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 heaping tsp Dijon mustard
For Asian Broccoli:
- 2 cups broccoli cut into small florets
- 1/2 cup bok choy cut into one-inch pieces. If you can, use baby bok choy, but otherwise you can use the regular size. Just make sure you are using clean parts. Bok choy is like a leek that way. You have to rinse it well and take off the outer leaves.
- 2 Tbl soy sauce (Lite or regular)
- 2 to 3 tsp hot chili sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- olive oil spray
Instructions:
Wash and dry your chicken breast halves. Sprinkle garlic powder liberally across the top. Place in your 9 by 9-inch ovenproof pan. Pour a half cup of water into the bottom of the pan. Place a heaping teaspoon of Dijon mustard on the top of each breast and spread it with your finger or a knife. Bake chicken at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until no pink shows when you cut a small slice in the thickest portion of one of the breasts.
While the chicken cooks, you can read a book, read a story to your child or play a game until there are 10 minutes left on the chicken timer.
Then start your Asian Broccoli.
Spray a medium-sized sauté pan with olive oil spray and add the broccoli. Sauté the broccoli until it's half cooked. A few minutes will do it. Turn the pieces often. Then add all the rest of the ingredients. Bring liquid to a simmer with the temperature on medium. Continue to cook the whole mixture until the broccoli is now slightly crisp but ready to eat. The bok choy needs little more than heating, so it will be done too. The soy sauce, chili sauce and sesame oil will have blended into the sauce so this dish will not be spicy. You have your "sauce" now for the meal.
When you take out the chicken, you'll notice the mustard formed a sort of "crust." This is good. Roasted mustard has a nice tang to it. Place the broccoli along side and use the liquid in the pan as a sauce around the dish. If you want your broccoli to have more zip, put a few more dashes of hot chili sauce on it and it will "sing" with flavor.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Baked Chicken with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. If we had a gourmet comfort food category this recipe would be the first one. Its easy to make, very satisfying, and tastes delicious. A great meal for a rainy day.
Ingredients:
For Chicken:
- 4 split chicken breasts with bones
- 1 Tbl garlic powder
- olive oil spray
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 6 pieces of bacon
- 1 cup shiitake mushroom pieces (stems removed)
- 1 and a half cups of button mushroom slices
- 1 cup whipping cream
- salt and pepper
Instructions:
Spray the oven-proof dish and the chicken with olive oil spray to coat. Sprinkle garlic powder on top of chicken. Roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until juices run clear.
Meanwhile work on the sauce:
Boil the beef broth, chicken broth, and wine together until reduced by half. This will probably take about 12 to 15 minutes depending on how high your burner heats. While the broth is reducing, slice the bacon vertically into little strips and fry it in a standard sauté pan. When crispy, remove the bacon and set it aside. Pour out most of the grease.
Now sauté the mushrooms in the leftover bacon grease. Don't worry. It'll taste great. When the mushrooms are all soft (about 3 minutes), add the whipping cream and your reduction. Keep the sauce on a medium boil so it can thicken up. Stir regularly. Watch for the bubbles to get larger and thicker. You can also see if it coats the back of a spoon. The longer you boil the sauce, the thicker it will get. You want it to be a medium thickness. At the end, add the crispy bacon pieces back into the sauce.
The chicken will look great sitting on top of the sauce rather than pouring the sauce over the top. The garlic powder turns a beautiful golden yellow.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken Satay (Chicken skewers with peanut sauce)
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) and Zola to GO! recipe. You can serve these as an appetizer, a party buffet food, a lunch or even as a dinner option. This is Thai fun food. If you have never had Thai food and want an easy way to try it, this is a perfect dish. It’s even good cold.
Serving Size: Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients:
For the chicken in marinade
- 2 packages of chicken tender strips (approximately 1-1.5 pounds total)
- ½ cup of coconut milk (in a carton. Not the stuff in a can)
- 1 clove of garlic, minced (jar garlic will work)
- 1 tsp of curry powder
- ¼ tsp of sea salt
- ½ tsp of black pepper
For the sauce
- ½ cup of coconut milk
- 1 Tbl of curry powder
- ½ cup of peanut butter (try to find unsweetened peanut butter that is emulsified. That means you don’t have to stir it. You want smooth or crunchy but stirred. Traditionally this made with smooth peanut butter)
- 2 Tbl of lemon or lime juice
- 3 tsp of Bragg’s aminos
- grated sea salt to taste
Instructions:
In a medium bowl put in the ingredients for the marinade. Then add the chicken tenders and toss them. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. If you are going to marinate them longer just put the bowl in the refrigerator.
Get out your grill pan. Spray lightly with olive oil spray. Grill the chicken tenders on medium high until no pint remains. This won’t take long. Usually 7 – 10 minutes maximum. Turn when half done. Be careful when you turning them. They might stick a bit. While the chicken is grilling make your sauce.
Put the coconut milk, curry powder, peanut butter in a pan and heat it on medium high. Don’t need to boil it. Just simmer it for a few minutes until it’s fully heated. Take it off the heat and add the juice and the Braggs aminos. Add a bit of salt and taste. If you want more salt you can add a bit but many peanut butter brands have enough salt in them already.
To transport, carry the sauce and chicken in separate containers so you can dip.
I served this as a light entrée. Grilled green onions that I made before I grilled the chicken were cold. The celery makes a nice crunch accompaniment. And we spoiled ourselves with one papadum. Papadums are an Indian flatbread/cracker. They are very easy to make and pretty low carb. Just follow the cooking directions on the box.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken Tikka Masala (Zola Style) with Cucumber Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. I do, on occasion make Indian food. This is my latest creation for chicken tikka masala with a cold cucumber salad on the side. The cold salad balances off the spicy chicken.
Note: My version of the Cucumber Salad doesn't follow the traditional route. I took the flavors that I like in cucumber salads in Indian restaurants and put new twists on them. For those of you afraid of spice, this is bland Indian food compared to some of the other dishes. The history of this dish is that, in India this chicken is cooked in a tandoori oven. Not a big deal. The British (in the colonization days) thought this was still too spicy. They had not experienced much beyond salt and pepper when it came to spice, so the chef threw on some tomato soup and yogurt to "cool it down" for the Brits. It worked. Indian food is now some of the most prevalent food in London. We have our US fast-food places. They have their Indian curry houses. By the way, this dish can be made totally from scratch, but tikka masala sauce done the traditional way many ingredients, and can be too much for a weeknight if you don't already know what you're doing. I have found the jar sauce to work well. It's not authentic, but it's tasty and simple.
Servings: Serves 2 (can be doubled or tripled)
Ingredients:
Chicken Tikka Masala
- 1 pkg chicken tenderloins (about 3 to 4 per person)
- olive oil spray
- 8 oz chicken tikka masala sauce. Get this in the ethnic section of the store. The one I use has no artificial flavors or ugly preservatives in it so it seems like a nice choice. You can decide on your favorite.
- 1/2 cup green pepper, diced
- 1 large tomato, diced
Cucumber Salad (also called Zalatta in India)
- 1 large cucumber, peeled
- A light sprinkling of sea salt
- 2 to 3 tsp malt vinegar (save the rest to put on French Fries like the English do)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (or grated fresh ginger)
- 1/4 tsp (or less) cracked red pepper flakes. Use less if you don't like a spicy dish, or leave it out.
- 1 medium tomato, sliced into quarter-inch slices
- 3 Tbl plain yogurt
Instructions:
Start making the salad first. Slice your cucumber very thin. I use a mandolin slicer set on level 2. You want the cucumber to be as thin as possible but not fall apart. Set the pieces of cucumber on a paper towel. Lightly sprinkle or grate sea salt over the top and let it sit for 10 minutes. You want to cucumber to "sweat" and absorb the saltiness. Then put the cucumber in a bowl. Toss the paper towel. Drizzle on malt vinegar, add the ginger and the cracked pepper flakes. Stir and let sit. This can sit on the counter while you make the chicken or it can stay in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. When the chicken is done (or when you are ready to serve), add the tomato and the yogurt. Stir to blend well and serve along side the chicken.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Take the tenderloins out of the package, rinse and dry, then spray them with olive oil spray. Put on your grill pan or on the outside grill and grill until no longer pink in the middle. This might take 10 minutes on medium. You just want nice grill marks. If you don't grill, you can do the same thing in a sauté pan. Later it won't show the grill marks anyway, and the flavor will not be much different.
When grilled, put the chicken in a large sauté pan and add the tikka masala sauce. Heat thoroughly, stirring the chicken to coat. This will only take a couple of minutes. When you are ready to serve, lightly stir in the green pepper and tomato. You don't need to cook them. They are there for color, flavor and texture (a little crunch here and there). Most Indian food is very boring looking. This jazzes it up a bit. I don't often use green peppers but, in this case, they are a marvelous addition.
Serve the chicken tikka masala with the cucumber salad on the side. You can also serve this on top of saffron rice or couscous once you are in the ZLife phase. Papadums with chutney would make a great appetizer. Serve something frozen for dessert and you'll have an authentic Indian meal.
Enjoy!
Cheers,