Parmesan Chicken with a Green Onion-Lemon Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. This makes for a beautiful, crusty chicken with a tangy, yet simple sauce. Easy meal for a weeknight but fancy enough for guests.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup of panko bread crumbs (or grind bread crumbs from Melba toast)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of shredded parmesan
- 4 skinless chicken breast halves pounded to a thickness of ¼”
- 4 Tbl of butter or ghee, divided
- 2 Tbl of olive oil
- 2 bunches of green onions cut into small bits. White and light green parts only
- ½ cup of organic chicken broth
- juice of 1 small lemon (or to taste)
Instructions:
Place the breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan on a dinner plate. Stir them with your hand to combine.
On another dinner plate stir the egg with a fork to break it up.
Melt 2 Tbl of butter and the olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium to medium-high.
Dip the chicken breasts each in the egg and then into the crumb/Parmesan mixture to coat them on both sides. Place in the sauté pan and brown them on each side. You don’t need to cook them through, just bring them to a nice, golden brown.
Transfer the browned chicken pieces to an oven-proof pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the chicken shows no pink in the middle.
While the chicken is baking you can make your sauce.
In a small sauté pan add the other two Tbl of butter and melt it. Add the green onions and sauté on medium for just a minute to loosen them up. Add the chicken broth and turn up to a low boil and let the sauce liquid reduce by half. Then add the lemon juice and heat. Taste the sauce to see if it’s to your liking. If you want the sauce to be more buttery you can add another Tbl of butter.
To plate it, place the chicken on the plate and on one side, or down the middle spread on some of the sauce. I leave much of the chicken without the sauce drizzled on it because I love the crunchy texture of the chicken. If the sauce is poured over the whole top it will take away that crunchiness.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken Marengo Z3 Version
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Prep Time: 20 minutes.
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 3 large chicken cutlets, sliced into thin paillards (slice while partially frozen)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil spray
- 1 medium sweet onion, sliced
- 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienned
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
Instructions:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.
Spray a large non-stick sauté pan, and heat to medium-high heat and add the chicken. Brown on both sides, until nice and golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. In the same pan, add the onions, mushrooms and peppers and sauté until softened and fragrant, but not limp, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook a few minutes to cook out the raw flavor. Turn up the heat, and add ½ cup of the beef broth to deglaze the pan and let it reduce for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup beef broth and the tomatoes. Once the mixture begins to bubble, add the browned paillards and any juices from the chicken and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is warmed through, about 3 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Parmesan Mayo Chicken
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe that is SUPER EASY to make. There is a version of this recipe being advertised on TV and on the Hellman’s website. I made up a slightly different version.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup of mayonnaise. I use a brand made with olive oil.
- ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp of Italian seasoning
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the mayo, parmesan and Italian seasoning in a small bowl.
Put the chicken in a greased, oven proof dish. Spread the mixture over the chicken.
Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees until no pink remains in the chicken. The coating will begin to brown slightly. That’s my favorite part so if the 30 minutes is done before the browning either leave it in for a few more minutes or broil it for just a few seconds to get a tinge of light brown on bits of it.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Easy Italian Casserole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded *
- 1-2 cups of asparagus tips cut into bits (1/2” segments). The amount just depends on how much you like asparagus and how thick the spears are. I use skinny ones.
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 2 cloves of crushed garlic (2 tsp. jar garlic is fine for this dish)
- 28 oz of diced tomatoes in a can.
- 4 oz of mascarpone cheese. Try to get this but if you can’t, US cream cheese will work
- 6 fresh basil leaves shredded
- 8 oz of shredded parmesan cheese
- sprinkle of sea salt and pepper
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degress.
*Instructions for poaching chicken breasts: put breasts in a pan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn temp down to a low boil (medium high) and simmer them for 15 minutes or until no pink remains.
Take out to cool. Then shred using two forks. Just pull at the meat with one fork while the other holds the meat steady.
Grease a 9" x 13" ovenproof pan and add the shredded chicken. In a sauté pan add a bit of olive oil and the onion and garlic. Cook just to loosen them up. Add the tomatoes and heat. Next put in the mascarpone cheese and heat until it all melts. Stir. Add the mixture to the 9" x 13" pan. Then add the asparagus bits. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper if you desire. Stir in the basil.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes to heat it all through. Take out of the oven and sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. It will begin to melt. Let stand for 5 – 10 minutes and then serve.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Rhubarb Compote
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe.
Servings: Serving size 1/3 cup
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of fresh rhubarb, chopped (Frozen would work too. Make sure no sugar added)
- 1 cup of water
- 5 tsp of Truvia
- 3 tsp of organic vanilla
- 1 Tbl of maple syrup (optional)
Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Cook on medium until it gets to the texture you like. You can cook it til it’s soft and chunky or keep right on going until it dissolves to mush.
Serve this on top of SO Delicious vanilla ice cream (portion size ½ cup of ice cream) or on top of Dieter Amy’s lemon pound cake. Or eat plain with whipped cream on top.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
“Almost” Fried Chicken
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To Go! recipe.
Looking for ideas for a picnic? How about Fried Chicken (or almost fried) and tangy coleslaw? Big YUM!
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 6 boneless chicken breast halves, skinless*
- melba toast pieces ground to crumbs (or 3 Tbl of dried bread crumbs from the container)
- 2 egg whites beaten with a fork
- garlic powder, celery salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning to taste.
- olive oil spray
Instructions:
Put your cleaned and dried chicken pieces on a work surface. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Put your egg whites in a blow and beat with a fork to break them up.
Sprinkle the spices across the top side of each piece of chicken. It won’t take a lot but you are doing it by taste. Dip your breast in the egg and then roll it in the crumbs. Place them on the cookie sheet. Allow each piece to have plenty of breathing room around it (at least an inch). The air space will allow the chicken to get crispier.
Lightly spray the tops of the chicken pieces with the olive oil spray. Just a spritz. This makes it crispier. Bake 20 – 25 minutes at 400 degrees. The chicken is done when there’s no pink in the middle. Cut a slit to check in the thickest one if you are not certain it’s done.
This chicken is easily transportable for Zola To GO! And it tastes good cold too! Don't forget to pair it up with my tangy coleslaw.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Greek Yogurt and Fresh Fruit
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe contributed by Plan Z dieter Shana. What a great idea! Super easy.
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 4 oz of regular Greek yogurt (full fat).
- 2-3 drops of vanilla creme stevia (If you do not have liquid stevia on hand, you can use a few drops of vanilla extract with 1 tsp of Truvia)
- up to 1 cup of fresh fruit of choice
Instructions:
Add 2-3 drops of Vanilla stevia to the Greek yogurt, mix and serve with the fruit of your choice.
Makes a great start to your day!
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola’s Flaxseed Disguised Smoothie
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. I loved Plan Z Dieter Steve’s idea of a smoothie incorporating flaxseed, so I invented one of my own too. Very similar. I needed a way to disguise my flaxseed oil. Taking it straight was just too much for me. This is divine!
Servings: 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of whole milk yogurt (Greek, unsweetened yogurt)
- 1 cup of frozen fruit (I used mango for my first try) cubed
- 3/4 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 Tbl of flaxseed oil
- 2 packets of stevia for sweetener.
- ¼ tsp of pumpkin pie spice
Instructions:
Whiz in your blender. This makes about 15 ounces of smoothie. Plenty for a full-meal substitute.
Great idea for Zola To GO!, too! You can drink this and drive (if you do that sort of thing). You can vary the fruit involved and the spice can change to cinnamon or powdered vanilla or even flavored, liquid stevia. A few drops would do it.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Green Eggs and Ham
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Servings: Serves 2 and can be doubled or tripled.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 tsps prepared pesto
- salt and pepper
- cherry tomatoes cut in half for garnish
- 4 slices of quarter-inch sliced ham
Instructions:
Melt your butter in a small sauté pan on medium heat. Add your eggs and stir. Add the pesto and stir again to incorporate. The secret to the best scrambled eggs is not to mess with the m too much. Just let them settle in and use a wooden spoon if you have one to mix them up so they form large clumps. Season with salt and pepper when they get to the consistency you like them.
Heat your ham while the eggs cook. You can do this in a warm oven or in a separate sauté pan or even the microwave. Serve under the eggs or on the side.
Garnish on your plate with the cherry tomatoes for color.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Green Onion and Mushroom Frittata (and Variations)
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. Here's the FUN part about this recipe. This dish can be made with a myriad of veggies and with things like pepperoni or chopped, cooked bacon, any kind of cheese you like, or even with pesto or mustard. Vary the herbs and spices too! Think of it like an omelet that you didn't have to flip, or a quiche you didn't have to bake. It's all the same deal.
Servings: Serves 2 large portions or 4 smaller ones
Ingredients:
- 4 green onions (cleaned and sliced into small circles, one inch into the green part)
- 1 cup of small mushrooms, quartered
- 1 Tbl of butter or margarine
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup grated cheese (your choice)
- cayenne to taste
Instructions:
Melt your butter or margarine in a medium sized sauté pan (6 to 8 inches across). It's going to be MUCH easier to make this dish if your pan is coated with Teflon. If you don't have a pan like this, I suggest you invest in one to make lots of things easier. Sauté the mushrooms and onions for 4 to 5 minutes on medium high. You want to almost fully cook them. I'll admit this is a lot of butter, but you need it to make the frittata slide out more easily. You can always take the chance with less if you're a daring person. I've done it both ways. Pour in the eggs.
Heat the eggs on medium. You don't need to stir them because you're trying to turn them into a "pancake" of sorts. A frittata is sort of an egg pizza with no crust. Once the bottom has started to firm up, you can slip a rubber spatula under the edge and tilt the pan so some of the loose eggs run under the bottom. Do this around the pan in three areas so you add more eggs to the bottom. This gets the frittata to cook faster. You can then put a lid or top on the pan so the heat cooks the eggs on the top too. Keep an eye on it so the eggs don't get overly brown on the bottom. You can turn the heat to low if this starts to happen. Your goal is to have a lightly golden bottom on the frittata. When the frittata is half cooked, add the cheese and the cayenne. Even in a light layer, the cayenne will make this dish pretty zippy, so be careful unless you're a big Mexican food fan. Salt and pepper are an option too.
Now for the tricky part. When the cheese is melted and the frittata seems pretty solid (some like their eggs more runny and that's okay, as long as you're not afraid of more raw eggs), you're going to want to flip it out onto your serving plate. Here's what I do. Take a plate and set it upside down over the pan. Put on two oven mitts -- one to hold the pan, the other to firmly hold the plate. Flip the pan over so the frittata turns out onto the plate. Just be careful not to let it slide. You can do this with a cookie sheet too and then slide the frittata onto your serving platter. For some, the cookie sheet is easier to hold than a plate.
Garnish with herbs or with cut up cherry tomatoes for color. Voila!
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Almond Flour Pancakes
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe submitted by Plan Z dieter Amy.
Servings: Makes about 6-7 pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup super fine ground almond flour
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sparkling water (if you use still water they will work but won’t be as puffy)
- 2 tbls oil (I used flaxseed oil but you could probably use any type of oil)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tsp Truvia
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
Mix ingredients together.
Heat a non-stick pan with a little oil or butter in it (I used coconut oil because I thought it would add to the flavor of the pancakes). You will need to cook these a little bit longer than regular pancakes but not much – you flip when the edges are dry and the bubbles on the top are popping.
Because sugar-free maple syrup is still high in carbs I put whipped cream and berries on mine but also thought these would be wonderful with apple sauce on them (especially if you make the homemade recipe you can find in reboot under the onion chicken and homemade applesauce recipe).
I think you could easily play with the flavor a bit if you wanted using different extracts, spices or even flavored Stevia.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Blueberry Crepes
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe contributed by Plan Z dieter Debbie. What a great idea! She came up with this delicious recipe for blueberry crepes.
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon of whipping cream
- 1 cup of blueberries (Frozen)
- 2 tsp of Truvia
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp water
- 1 cup of cottage cheese
- 1 tsp of Vanilla extract opptional
Instructions:
For the crepes:
Using the 2 eggs and 1 Tbl of whipping cream. Whisk ingredients together really well. Lightly butter a small sauté pan over medium heat. Pour small amount of batter in heated pan and swirl around to spread out thinly. You don’t want to see through it; about 1/8 “ thick will do it.
Let cook about 2 minutes or until brown at the edges. Flip and cook just a few seconds on other side. Continue with the rest of the batter. You can add 1 tsp of the vanilla extract to the mix if you wish.
For the filling:
Using a food processor, add the cottage cheese. Now add a splash of vanilla extract and 1 tsp of Truvia, puree until smooth.
For the topping:
Take 1 cup of frozen blueberries, add 1 tsp of truvia and cook until very soft. Now mix 1 tbs of corn starch and 1 Tbl of water to the blueberries and mix well to thicken.
Fill each crepe with about 3 Tbl of cottage cheese and top with about 3 Tbl of warm blueberries.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Fruit and Nut Yogurt
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. Easy!
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 small apple of choice
- raisins
- dried apricots, cut up
- dried plums, cut up
- fresh blueberries, strawberries and/or whatever fruit you choose
- carob coated almonds, pecans, pistachios, or walnuts (whatever nuts you prefer)
- cinnamon
- 1/3 cup full fat Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup sugar free applesauce
Instructions:
Chop and cook apple for one minute in the microwave. Add all other ingredients of your choice except the applesauce and yogurt. Cook another 30 seconds in the microwave. Caution: Be sure to get dried fruit without sugar added. Choose the amount of fruits you choose due to the carbs. Top with the yogurt and applesauce and sprinkle with cinnamon to taste. Garnish with some of the fruit and nuts. This is a very satisfying breakfast that I eat most mornings.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Fluffy Cheesy Scrambled Eggs
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. When you go into ZReboot, we want you to really increase your fat intake. One thing we recommend is coconut milk. I haven’t figured out too many things to do with coconut milk yet but Chris, our VP of Anger Management came up with this tasty one!
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 2 -3 Tbl of organic unsweetened coconut milk (You find this in the milk section in a carton. This is NOT the canned stuff you use for making Thai food.)
- 1 Tbl of butter
- 1/3 cup of your favorite cheese shredded or cut into bits
- chives for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
This is a great use for your little blender (if you have one). Put the eggs and the coconut milk into your blender and give it a 4 second whirl. Stop the blender (Otherwise, a good idea is to put this all in a jar with a lid. Break up the eggs, put in the milk, close the cover tightly, and practice your bartending skills by shaking the jar like crazy to mix up the egg and milk).
Melt the butter in a small sauté pan.
Add the eggs. Let them cook for a bit without messing with them. They will start to firm up. Now take your spatula and put it under the edge of the eggs so you can tilt the pan and get the loose parts to run under the eggs. Stir the eggs around a bit.
One thing I have learned from the French, in making scrambled eggs, is not to mess with them too much. That’s what makes them tough. When there is just a bit of moisture left in the eggs add your cheese and turn off the heat. The cheese will melt in a bit and you’re set.
When we do Mexican cheese we add some cayenne or hot sauce on top (Efrem says chili powder or ancho powder works as a tasty substitute for cayenne pepper if you want the flavor but not the heat).
When we do French cheese we can add some tarragon
When we do Italian cheese blend I add some freshly cut basil shreds to the mix.
Get creative. Eggs are great on Z-Reboot for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. Just not all 3 in one day!
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Faux Crepes
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe that was submitted by Plan Z dieter Amy. Amy says "My friend Lisa says they taste like eggy French toast and my kids and husband love them!!!"
Servings: Serves 1. Makes 2 – 3 crepes. Can easily be doubled or tripled. My guests ate two each.
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tbsp oil (I used peanut oil)
Directions:
Whisk ingredients together really well. Lightly butter a small sauté pan over medium heat. Pour small amount of batter in heated pan and swirl around to spread out thinly. You don’t want to see through it; about 1/8 “ thick will do it.
Let cook about 2 minutes or until brown at the edges. Flip and cook just a few seconds on other side. Continue with the rest of the batter.
I then spread butter on them and sprinkle with a bit of Truvia and cinnamon – so yummy! The butter will mix with the Truvia and cinnamon to make a sort of syrup.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Barbecue Ribs - Zola Style
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. There’s no way to use a commercial sauce for barbecue ribs. 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 ribs this way. The Rub. The Ribs. 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 ribs.
Servings: Up to 3 lbs of ribs
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 Rib Sauce:
- 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 Ribs:
- Six large country-style Pork ribs or up to 3 pounds of beef (or other cut of pork ribs. I just like the big fat ribs)
- 1 cup of white wine or low carb beer
Instructions for The Rub:
Mix all of these together in a bowl. This will coat 3 lbs of ribs. If you want you can make double and it will keep in your cupboard in a sealed container.
Instructions for the Rib 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 Ribs:
Spread the rub on the meaty portions of the ribs--on all sides. Set the ribs in a 9" x 13” oven proof pan. Cover with aluminum foil and set in your refrigerator for at least an hour; even up to overnight.
Heat your oven to 250 degrees.
Take the ribs out of the refrigerator and take off the aluminum foil. Pour in the wine or beer. Cook at 250 for 2-1/2 hours. Open the foil and carefully pour off most of the liquid. Leave about a half cup to coat the bottom. Then spread on 1/3 of your barbecue sauce. Save the rest and keep it warm so you can put it in a bowl for dipping the ribs for those that like lots of sauce. Bake for 30 minutes more and EAT.
If it’s grilling season you can take the ribs out of the oven and grill them while you brush on sauce instead of baking them the extra 30 minutes. On the grill they shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes per side to grill on medium.
Check the flavor and make personal adjustments as you please. Some like really hot barbecue sauce and you can always zip it up more.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Tenderloin Steak with a Porcini Red Wine Sauce and Spinach Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. This is a one-project, one-plate meal. Fancy enough for a dinner party and simple enough for a Tuesday night after work.
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups dried porcini mushrooms
- 1-1/2 cups diced shallots
- 3 Tbl virgin olive oil (divided)
- 2 Tbl roasted garlic (from the jar is fine)
- 2 lb sliced button mushrooms
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 5 Tbl butter (divided)
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 6 beef tenderloin steaks (8 oz each)
- 2 bags of baby spinach
- 36 grape tomatoes (1 pkg)
Optional:
- onion strings for garnish (See preparation instructions below)
Instructions:
Add the porcini mushrooms to a bowl with 2 cups of very hot water. You need to soften them up. You can do this earlier in the day and cover, or do it at least 30 minutes before you cook dinner.
Put the shallots and 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil in a large pan and heat on medium high. Cook the shallots until softened. Add the garlic and stir, just to combine everything. Add the button mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until they brown on the edges and you cook off most of the liquid. Add the porcini mushrooms (by this time there should be approx 1/3 cup of liquid in your pan) and stir until heated (about 4 minutes). Then add the red wine and reduce until half of the wine has cooked away. Add 3 tablespoons butter; after the butter melts add the whipping cream. Keep the heat on the stove medium high to bring the cream to a slow boil. Stir this mixture until it starts to thicken. This will take a few minutes. Turn the sauce to low temperature so you can concentrate on the steak now.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauté pan on medium high. The reason for the butter-olive oil combination is because butter burns too easily alone. The olive oil allows you to heat the pan more. Once the butter melts, add your steaks. You can season them ahead of time with salt, pepper, or even Cajun spices. That's up to your taste. Cook the steaks until the meat is done to your liking. A good rule of thumb for most burners is 5 minutes per inch thickness of meat for medium rare.
While steak is cooking, toss the spinach in a bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil and a little grated sea salt. Regular salt will do in a pinch. Spread the salad in a ring around the outside of the dinner plates.
When the steaks are done, let them sit off the flame for a minute to soak the juices back into the meat; then put the steak on the center of each plate. Pour the mushroom sauce over and around each steak. The juices will run under the spinach salad, but keep the salad as clean as you can to bring out the green color. Scatter grape tomatoes around the salad for more color.
The onion strings are optional; sprinkle them over the top of the steaks to give the dish a steakhouse feel.
Enjoy,
Cheers!
Tortilla-less Enchiladas
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe contributed by Plan Z dieter Efrem.
Efrem says, "I was really missing my Mexican food and wanted to recapture the tastes and flavors of some of my favorites, so I came up with this recipe."
Servings: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
For the Enchiladas:
- 1 pound of ground sirloin
- 1 Tbl chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp Spanish smoked paprika
- 1/2 pound of Muenster cheese, coarsely grated
- 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
For the Enchilada Sauce:
- 1 Tbl chili powder
- 1/4 cup of water
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Brown your ground sirloin (and onion if using an onion) in a 12" skillet or saute pan on top of your stove. at medium-low. You don't want to overcook the sirloin.
When the beef just starts to turn brown, add in the chili powder, cumin, and paprika (you can use regular paprika if you can't find Spanish smoked paprika - I got mine at Penzey's in Madison).
While the beef is cooking, prepare the Enchilada sauce. Do this by simply mixing the chili powder and water. You can play with the portions to get a thicker sauce (that's the goal). I used a ketchup bottle to store my Enchilada sauce in. Makes it easier for the last step below.
When your beef is done, spread it evenly in a 9" x 13" oven-proof baking pan. Then spread your grated Muenster cheese evenly on top of the ground sirloin.
Lastly, drizzle the Enchilada sauce over the cheese. You want to get really good coverage, but don't super-soak the dish!
Bake in your oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until the cheese gets nice and melted.
Cut the "Enchiladas" into 1 1/2 to 2" wide strips when ready to serve. Each person gets 2 Enchiladas.
To round out the meal, serve with Efrem's rockin' guacamole and Efrem's salsa fresca.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cheddar Stuffed Italian Sausages with Roasted “Stop Light” (Red, Yellow and Green) Peppers
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the Peppers
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 3 Tbl of olive oil
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp of garlic, minced (optional)
For the Sausages
- 4-8 sausages (one or two per person)
- Cheddar cheese cut into strips that are ½” x 2” long.
Instructions:
Cut the peppers into strips. Toss out the cores.
Lay the peppers in a 9" x 13": pan and drizzle on the olive oil. Grate sea salt on top and then toss to distribute the salt. Roast at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Then add the garlic and toss again. Roast 10 more minutes and they’ll be ready.
When the peppers are cooking, prepare your sausage. You may want to wait until the peppers are almost ready; the sausages do not take very long to cook.
Grill the sausages until they are done. Turn regularly. Make sure no more pink remains when you are done. Then cut a slice in the top of the sausage and push your cheese into the opening. You can put them under the broiler for a bit to get the cheese to soften. Otherwise the cheese will melt in a minute or two anyway.
Serve warm with the peppers.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Roasted Filet Mignon Steaks with Veggie Stuffed Tomatoes
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. This recipe takes 20 minutes to prepare and cook. So easy!
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 filet mignon steaks. 5 oz each
- 2 large tomatoes, ripe
- 1/2 cup of chopped green pepper
- 1 cup of chopped zucchini
- 1/2 cup of chopped Vidalia onion
- 2 Tbl olive oil, divided
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbl of grated parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Season your steaks with salt and pepper. Set aside to come to room temperature.
Cut the tops off of the tomatoes. Scoop out the pulp and chop it. Leave the tomato shells intact. In a large saute pan add 1 Tbl of olive oil. Saute the green pepper, zucchini and onion until they all wilt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the mixture between the two tomatoes. Put the tomatoes in an oven proof dish and pile a tablespoon of parmesan cheese on top of each one.
Put in your oven and bake at 400 for 15 minutes.
While the tomatoes are baking, take out a cast iron pan or other oven proof saute pan and add the other tablespoon of olive oil. Add steaks, seasoned side down and sear on medium high until a nice crust and brown edges form. Approx 2 minutes. Put the pan in the oven to roast along with the tomatoes. Roast the steaks until they reach the appropriate temperature for your tastes. The time necessary will depend on the thickness of your steaks. Should be about 7 minutes (approx) for medium rare.
Plate your steak and your tomatoes and enjoy!
Enjoy!
Cheers,