Asian Sensation Dressing and Dipping Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves 2. You can make a large amount by multiplying the ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- 4 tsp of apple cider vinegar
- 4 tsp of Braggs Aminos
- 4 tsp of sesame seeds
Instructions:
Mix in a bowl or small blender. Pour over meat, veggies or salad.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chinese Dipping Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Enjoy this sauce with chicken, a small steak or you might also consider this with grilled fish, scallops or shrimp. They will all work nicely.
Servings:
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of Bragg’s aminos
- ¼ cup of organic chicken broth
- 2 tsp of Truvia
- 12 scallions cut to fine dice. You can use the white part and some of the green too.
- 4 Tbl of minced, fresh ginger
- ¼ tsp of red pepper flakes. You can very this amount based on how spicy you like things. This gives it some heat but it's not overwhelming at all.
Instructions:
Add all of the ingredients into a small saucepan. Mix the ingredients until the Truvia dissolves and the ingredients form a nice sauce.
You can serve this cold, or use your saucepan to heat it up.
I put the dipping sauce in ramekins and dipped my meat pieces in it. My husband loved it so much he stopped dipping and poured the sauce all over his meat.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Inside Out Blueberry Pie
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Blueberry pie is a favorite of many. This one will make you feel like you got the best parts of the pie with no guilt and no crust.
Servings: Serves 5
Ingredients:
- 2 half pints of blueberries
- ¼ cup of water
- 1 packet of stevia
- ½ tsp of vanilla
- 1 tsp of fruit pectin
Instructions:
Put all in a sauce pan. Heat on medium high until the blueberries give up juice and some of them start to pop. About 2-3 minutes. I stir this often to encourage some of the blueberries to break.
If you serve this warm it will not be thick like blueberry pie filling but more like a compote. If you let it cool off the pectin will firm it up some, like a pie. Store leftovers in the refrigerator and it will taste like cold pie tomorrow.
One serving is 1/3 cup maximum. Serve in a pretty glass to make it feel fancy. This is not a big dessert but the taste is powerful.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken Patty Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 8 oz of ground chicken breast
- olive oil spray
- spice blend of choice
- 2 handfuls of greens
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- ¼ cup of sliced cucumber
- 1/8 cup of sliced onion
- 3 Tbl of salad dressing
Instructions:
Divide the chicken breast into two patties; just like you would a hamburger. Ground chicken is very gooey so just keep your hands wet while you handle it and it will cooperate just fine.
Lightly spray your sauté pan with olive oil spray. Just a spritz. Set your chicken patties in the pan and begin to cook on medium high. These will cook just like beef burgers.
While they are cooking sprinkle on your spice blend of choice. You might use celery salt if you want them mild or you can use any meat rub or Cajun blend if you like them zippy.
When the chicken is light brown on one side, flip it over to cook the other side. You need to cook them until there is no pink in the middle but you’ll be amazed at how moist they stay if you don’t over cook them.
While the chicken is cooking, assemble your salad ingredients. Arrange your greens and toss with dressing. Add the veggies and then place your cooked chicken patty on top.
This makes a rather elegant meal. Enjoy with some breadsticks to round it out and then follow up with your fruit.
For Zola To GO!, just cook the patties ahead. Put them in a baggie and transport the salad and the patties separately. When you want to eat, heat the burger and toss the salad with the veggies.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Hot Green Wings
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves approximately 6
Ingredients:
For the ‘wings’
- 2 pounds of chicken tenders or cut skinless chicken breasts into strips. Either way these make boneless wings for Z2.
- sea salt and pepper
For the sauce
- 10 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 4 serrano chili peppers (these are hot!) You can add more if you want blazing wings
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 Tbl of minced garlic (jar garlic will work fine)
- 1 Tbl of sea salt, grated
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place your breast pieces on a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with olive oil. Bake the pieces approximately 20 minutes or until no pink remains in the middle. Take out of oven.
While the chicken cooks, make the sauce.
After sauce is complete you can put this all in the refrigerator to store until game day or assemble right away.
In a large baking pan add the cooked chicken. Toss with the green sauce. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Garnish with chopped scallions, chopped cilantro and even some jalapeno slices.
For the sauce
Cut the tomatillos into quarters. Add all ingredients into a sauce pot. Add enough water just to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil and then turn to medium-low and cook for 20 – 30 minutes until the tomatillos are soft and have turned a slightly brown color. If you need to add more water during the cooking process to keep it from sticking to the bottom, do that.
When the tomatillos are soft and the other ingredients are cooked in you can put the ingredients in your blender and whiz til fairly smooth. Either let the ingredients cool before blending or be VERY careful so you don’t burn yourself. When blending hot ingredients I always put a towel over the top of the blender and hold it down securely. Turn on slowly and then increase the speed. You don’t want to blow the top off with hot ingredients inside.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Southwestern Chicken
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This is a dish you can mix up before work and it’s all ready to cook when you get home. Just takes a few minutes to get the marinade ready.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 1/3 cup of organic chicken broth or stock
- juice of one lime
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- 2 cloves of garlic minced (jar garlic will work for this)
- sea salt and pepper to taste
For Cilantro Salsa
- 2 large tomatoes, diced. If tomatoes are not ripe you can use diced, canned tomatoes. One can.
- 2 Tbl of minced, fresh cilantro
- 2 Tbl of chopped onion
- juice of one lime
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Mix broth, juice, chili powder and garlic in a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and put it in the bag with the marinade. You can let this sit in your refrigerator with the chicken marinating up to 24 hours.
When you want to cook the chicken spritz the pan with olive oil spray. Put chicken in and sauté on one side to brown it. Then instead of leaving it in the pan I roast the chicken at 375 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes more. This keeps the chicken from drying out. It will be very juicy. Be sure to put the chicken in an oven proof pan. Most sauté pans won’t transfer to your oven (unless they are cast iron). Toss out the remaining marinade.
For the salsa:
Mix items in a bowl. Stir thoroughly. They can then sit in the bowl on the kitchen counter and marinate until the chicken is cooked and ready to serve.
Serve a couple of Tbl of salsa on top of your chicken. Subtract the amount of salsa you take from your one cup veggie portion. You can always have a salad on the side too.
This transports well and can be re-heated or eaten cold at work. Take this to a Mexican party and you’ll be a hit! You can make a casserole dish of it to feed the whole gang.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Shrimp and Chicken Creole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
This tastes pretty darn authentic. Creole…or low country food. If you want it spicy you might consider adding a bit of cayenne (1/4 tsp) or the same amount of red pepper flakes. An final alternative would be to put a bottle of Tabasco on the table for people to add their own.
Servings: Serves 6
Each serving is 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup of green pepper diced
- ½ cup of diced onion
- 1 cup of diced celery (large dice)
- 1 lb of chicken tenders cut into 1” cube shapes
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ lb of cooked shrimp (you choose the size. I used medium ones so I had about 18), rinse in a colander, and let drain until you are ready to use them in the dish.
- 16 oz can of diced tomatoes (use the one with garlic,basil and oregano included)
- 8 oz. of sugar-free tomato sauce (Hunts makes one)
- ½ tsp of chili powder
- 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp of dried parsley
- ¼ cup of whipping cream
- water (optional)
Instructions:
In a large sauce pan lightly spray olive oil and then add your green pepper, diced onion, and diced celery. Saute them until onions are wilted and celery is crisp tender. Stir often but this will only take a few minutes on medium-high. Add the garlic.
While this is cooking take out a medium sauté pan. Lightly spray with olive oil spray and add your chicken. Saute on medium high until light golden brown and cooked through. Check to make sure the pink middle is now white. This will take 5 – 8 minutes.
When the chicken is cooked add it to the vegetables in the sauce pan. Then add the canned tomatoes and the sauce, chili powder, Worcestershire and parsley. Bring to a boil. Turn down to medium and continue to cook for 5 minutes, until it is completely hot. If you want it runnier, add the water. Add the shrimp and the cream and cook about 5 minutes longer, or until you are sure the shrimp are hot. The reason to keep the shrimp out until the end is they are already cooked and if you put them in early they will continue to cook and will shrink and become tough.
I serve this in soup bowls. With the sauce and veggies there is plenty for your meal. You can still have your breadsticks on the side. And salad greens. If you want you can also add baby spinach to the bowl in whatever quantity you like. It will wilt and add another dimension.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Stuffed Poblano Chilies
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and recipe. Fans of Mexican food will love these. Easy to make and perfect for heating leftovers. Give them a try.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 poblano peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
- 1-1/2pounds of ground sirloin
- 2 red bell peppers, seeds removed, and cut into dice
- 1 medium white onion cut into dice
- 15 ounces of salsa. This can be fresh or jar. Fresh is best .Find one with no sugar. I used a mild pico salsa.
- ½ tsp of smoked paprika
- 1 tsp of ground cumin
- 1 clove of minced garlic (or 1/2 tsp jar garlic)
- ¼ tsp of cayenne or to taste (optional)
- a grating of sea salt or to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large sauté pan lightly spray with olive oil and add the ground beef. Begin cooking it. Add the onion, garlic and the red pepper when you have them prepped. They can all cook together. Keep breaking up the meat so it’s in small, bite-sized pieces. When there is no pink left in the meat you can add the salsa and seasonings.
Now you are ready to prep for the oven. Take the pepper halves and lay them in the bottom of a lightly greased casserole pan, cut side up. I used my old lasagna pan because it’s bigger. Then just pour the whole filling on top. I didn’t bother checking to see if every pepper got “stuffed,” and I didn’t have time to stuff them individually, but this works. Just pour it over and spread it out.
Then bake in your oven at 400 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes until the peppers are roasted through and the meat just begins to brown a bit on the top. They will be juicy and flavorful. You can add hot sauce on top if they are not spicy enough for you and you can have a salad on the side to round out your meal.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chili #4
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
I have designed several chili recipes for Plan Z. This is one of those that is very straightforward and simple. It doesn’t even have a lot of ingredients. All you have to do is dump it in a pot and let it simmer.
Serving Size: Serving size is 1 to 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 lb of ground sirloin
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 Tbl of chili powder. You can choose your chili powder. Some like smoked powder, etc
- 1 Tbl of ground cumin
- 2 tsp of smoked paprika, regular paprika will work too
- 1 Tbl of dried oregano
- 2 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 Tbl of hot sauce. I use Louisianna hot sauce for this
- 1 can (28 oz) of diced, canned tomatoes (no added sugar)
- 15 oz of beef broth (no sugar)
Instructions:
Spray the soup pot with olive oil spray. Put in the sirloin and brown it on medium high. Break it up into little bits as you go along and stir it periodically so you get it all browning. When it’s almost all browned add the onion and the red bell pepper. Cook until they begin to wilt and soften. Your beef should be all browned now but if not a few minutes more will do it.
Then just toss everything else in and stir. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Stir periodically. Then it’s ready to serve.
Serving size is 1-1/2 cups. This is most of your veggie portion for this meal however, you can have a side salad with a little cucumber or something if you like. But there are onions, pepper and lots of tomatoes in here so this will be a very satisfying meal without the side.
Chili transports really well in containers, so is ideal to take to work. It heats up easily in a microwave and tastes even better with aging. If you prefer you can always make this spicier than my version was pretty tame. Or alternatively just keep that bottle of hot sauce nearby.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cabbage Rolls
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This recipe was submitted by Plan Z dieter Amy.
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 head of cabbage
- 2 tomatoes
- ½ onion, chopped
- 5 tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 can tomato paste (make sure it’s sugar-free. Hunts makes one with no sugar)
- 1 ½ cups water
- 3 pkts Truvia
- 1 lb ground veal
- 1 lb ground sirloin
Instructions:
Core the cabbage and place the whole head in a pot and fill with water. You want to bring the water to a boil and then boil until the leaves are pliant and starting to pull away from the head. While that is boiling you chop up the tomatoes (I left the seeds and the core in) and put in a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tsp of salt. Then put half of your chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic finely minced in with the tomato and stir around and let it sit and marinate together and allow the salt time to pull out some of the water from the onion and tomato. Mix the rest of the chopped onion and the last clove of garlic (finely minced) in with the ground sirloin and ground veal, along with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.
When the cabbage is done, drain and allow some time to cool. I finished the sauce while it was cooling. To finish the sauce add 1 tsp pepper, 1 can tomato paste, 1 ½ cups of water and 3 pkts of Truvia. You can then put in your food processor or blender to mix. (I used a hand blender I have and that worked just fine.)
To assemble, lay a few of the leaves in the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan to cover. Then spread a thin layer of the sauce on top. You will lay out a cabbage leaf, then grab some of the meat mixture and mold into a sort of oval shape – about the size of a jumbo egg. Roll the meat inside of the cabbage leaf and repeat until you have 16 of them. Put the rolls in the pan and pour on the sauce. Any extra cabbage can be added in between the rolls if you want or you can save it for another use. Bake at 350 for 1-½ hours.
We were really happy with the way it turned out and I think you could adjust the seasonings to your own taste if you want more garlic or more salt, etc.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Italian Pepper Steak in a Crock Pot
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: 5 – 6 servings (Serving size 1-1/2 cups)
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of beef sirloin cut into strips that are one inch wide
- Garlic salt to taste
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 bell peppers chopped into one inch hunks. (Traditionally these would all be green bell peppers. I prefer red and yellow so I varied them)
- 15 oz can of diced or stewed tomatoes
- 3 Tbl of Bragg’s aminos
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- 3 cups (approximately) of organic beef broth
Instructions:
Spread your sirloin strips on a surface and sprinkle them with garlic salt. Then put the beef and other ingredients in your slow cooker. Stir to mix up the meat and veggies. The amount of beef broth you put in will be dependent on how crowded the pot is. Pour in enough to cover the ingredients for the most part but leave a one inch space at the top so it doesn’t boil over.
Cook on high 3 – 4 hours or until the steak is done and tender. I did 4 hours and it was perfect.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mexican Meatloaves
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serving size is one meatloaf. 6 – 8 servings per batch
Ingredients:
- 2 lb of ground sirloin
- ¾ cup of breadcrumbs (you can make these by grinding up breadsticks)
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 3 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ cup of chopped Vidalia (sweet) onion
- ½ cup of minced red bell pepper
- 2 cloves of minced garlic (jar garlic will be fine in this one)
- cayenne to taste (a good sprinkle is plenty)
- 6 oz of tomato sauce (Hunts brand has no sugar)
- sliced jalapenos (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl add the ground sirloin, crumbs, spices, Worcestershire sauce, onion, bell pepper and the garlic along with the sprinkle of cayenne. Mix the whole thing. I do this with my hands to get it really well combined.
Spray a muffin pan with a light squirt of olive oil spray.
Form the meat mixture into balls and put them into the muffin tin segments. Will make 6, six ounce balls or 8, 4 ounce balls. When I put them in the tin I make sure there’s enough of a rim around them so when I pour on the sauce it doesn’t run over. Just squish the edges with your finger.
Bake the meatloaves 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Pull them out and pour a bit of tomato sauce over each one and then put them back in for five minutes more until the sauce is heated. Then serve.
If you like your meatloaf extra spicy you can serve with sliced jalapenos.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Ground Beef and Roasted Poblano Roll-Ups
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. These roll ups are NOT spicy so don’t let the mention of poblano peppers scare you. It’s really a sort of Spanish-Mexican comfort food. You can, of course, make them spicy if you want to. They do not taste like tacos either. They don’t have cumin or chili powder in them; just your favorite meat rub so they don’t have the kick. When you roast poblano peppers they become more smoky than spicy.
These are intended to be “messy fun.” Roll them in the lettuce and eat them like a taco and you’ll have juices rolling down your chin. Or eat them with a fork. Your choice.
Keep your lettuce separate from the meat mixture if you are doing Zola To GO! That way you can heat the meat and eat it on top of the cold lettuce. I’m sure the meat would taste pretty good cold too!
Servings: 9 – 10 servings. This make a BIG batch.
Each person will get 2 or 3 rolls depending on how much you roll into your lettuce leaves. The lettuce is “free” and does not count toward your veggie portion so you can make them small and eat more of them.
Ingredients:
- 3 poblano peppers, seeded and cut into 2” strips. Just cut them crosswise.
- 3 lb of ground sirloin (93% or higher)
- 1 onion, chopped (about a heaping cup)
- 28 oz of crushed tomatoes (no sugar)
- 1 Tbl of your favorite meat rub (I used a mild Cajun rub but you can use any one you like)
- 2 heads of Boston lettuce or if you prefer, romaine
Optional garnish:
If you want more of a taco feel you can top them with pico de gallo (fresh salsa). You can find it in the deli section. Make sure you get one with no sugar in the ingredients list. You want it fresh if you can get it, but a salsa in the jar (with no sugar) can work too. Just keep your portion to a Tbl per roll.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Begin by putting the pepper strips on a lightly greased cookie sheet (use olive oil spray). Roast at 400 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes until the edges of the peppers begin to brown and start to shrivel up. If you have a convection oven setting you can use that and speed up the process a bit.
Meanwhile, take out your large (or two medium) sauté pans and lightly spray them with olive oil. Put in the meat and begin to cook it on medium high to brown it. Half way through the cooking process add the onion so it can cook too.
When the meat is fully browned you can add the tomatoes and your meat rub. Cook on medium to medium-high (bubbling) until ½ of the liquid is gone. Should be about 15 minutes.
Add the peppers when they come out of the oven and stir.
Pull the lettuce leaves off and put an individual serving of meat inside. Roll up and eat. The amount you put in depends on how many you want to feed. Each person gets up to 6 oz of meat so the whole batch will serve 9 people.
Serve with veggies on the side. I did cold veggies to compliment the warm rolls.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Taco Two Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. I had a hankerin’ for a taco salad. Wanted hot taco meat with cold salad as a counter-point. Decided to make a new recipe so this is our second taco salad recipe. Taco Two! I hope you love it. My family did. This travels well. You can heat the meat in a microwave and carry your salad portion in a zipper baggie. If you want your salad spicier, use a hot salsa.
Serving Size: Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2-1/2 pounds of ground sirloin (97% lean)
- 1 cup of diced onion. You can use white, yellow or red
- 1 cup of any authorized veggies, chopped. You can choose what you want. I did a buffet of veggies that included: cherry tomatoes cut in half, yellow pepper chunks, green onions diced, sliced jalapenos.
- 3 tsp of minced garlic (jar garlic will work)
- 3 tsp of ground cumin
- 3 tsp of chili powder
- grated sea salt to taste
Instructions:
Firstly make 2 cups of salsa. You can use fresh salsa from the deli section or a jar salsa. Just check the jar version to make sure there are no unauthorized ingredients like beans or corn and make sure there’s no sugar in the ingredient list. I used a salsa that had chipotle peppers in it for some smoky kick.
In a large sauté pan lightly spray some olive oil and put in your meat. Break it up and keep tossing it til it’s almost all browned. Then add the onion and cook it while the meat continues to brown. You can also add your garlic, cumin, chili powder and salt now. Stir and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Then add your two cups of salsa and heat through. You are ready to serve.
Put your salad greens in a bowl. I used a combo of romaine, purple cabbage and head lettuce and add the meat and veggies on top. No need for dressing. Just toss the meat around in the greens and that will be your dressing.
If you making this in Z3 (ZReboot) you can also add a chopped avocado and some grated cheese. I used cheddar.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Asian Sirloin Steak Stir Fry
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
The leftovers for this meal will travel well so make extra and you can take some to work for lunch! This is not an overly spicy dish. If you want it HOT you can add some cayenne pepper.
Serving Size: Serves 6
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
- 2-1/2 lb of lean sirloin steak (cut off any visible fat)
- ½ cup of Braggs Aminos
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- 2 Tbl of cornstarch dissolved in ¼ cup of water
- 1 tsp of ground, dry ginger
For the veggies:
- 6 cups of allowed vegetables. I used a combination of bok choy chunks, white onion chunks, celery chunks, and bell peppers. This made a colorful combination but any combination of Plan Z veggies will do. You choose.
- 1 – 2 cups of beef broth
- 1 tsp of Thai Garden spice mix or your favorite Asian blend
- 3 tsp of minced, fresh mint
- cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions:
Lay your steak on a cutting board and cut it into quarter inch wide strips. Cut the meat against the grain and it will hold together much better. Cut off any other visible fat. If you prefer you can cut your meat into cubes but the strips make it feel more like fancy Asian food and they will cook faster.
In a bowl or large baggie, put in your steak and the marinade ingredients. Let stand for 15 minutes to an hour.
When ready to cook heat a large sauté pan and lightly spray with olive oil spray. Remove the strips of meat from the marinade and put them directly into the pan on medium high so you can sear them on one side for 1 minute. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE MARINADE. YOU’LL USE IT LATER AS PART OF THE COOKING PROCESS.
When the meat is browned on one side, turn it over and cook for just 30 seconds more. Then remove the meat and put it in a bowl and cover it. You don’t want to cook the meat all the way through. While the meat is in the bowl it will continue to cook. Depending on how cooked you like your steak you can adjust the cooking time. I like mine to have a bit of pink left so I just barely seared it so it had brown bits on one side of the pieces and then turned them over and took them out.
No need to wash this pan. Just add about a cup of beef broth and begin to sauté your veggies. I put the onion in first. Cook for 2 minutes. Then add the other veggies, seasoning and mint. If you are going to put a light dusting of cayenne on, this is the time to do it. Saute another minute or two. The liquid will cook down. If you want it more saucy you can add more beef broth. You can cover and steam the veggies or just keep stir frying them on medium. When the veggies are almost done add the reserved marinade and cook until the liquid just begins to thicken. The cornstarch in the marinade will take care of that.
To serve, put the veggies in a bowl or on a plate and top with the meat strips. Add your favorite hot sauce to zip it up even more. Use chopsticks if you want to feel authentic.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Tomato Steak Stew
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe submitted by Plan Z dieter Amy. Made this tonight and was very happy with it – it would count as your vegetable and your meat although you could definitely add a green salad. I found it to be very filling.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 – 1 ½ lb flank steak
- 1 large Spanish onion sliced thin
- 4 large cloves of garlic, chopped (or jar garlic)
- 3 large tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 ½ cups beef broth
- olive oil spray
Instructions:
Heat a pan with a little bit of olive oil spray in it over medium heat. Add the steak and cook each side until brown – remove and set aside.
Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin to the pan. Cook and stir until onions are tender.
Return the steak to the pan. Pour the beef broth over the steak. Bring the water to a boil and then cover and drop the heat to low. Allow to simmer until meat easily pulls apart with a fork, about 2 hours.
Remove the steak to a cutting board and use two forks to shred the meat. Put a serving of meat into a bowl and pour some of the onion/tomato mixture from the skillet over the shredded beef. Delish!!!!
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Beef with Zola's Asian Orange Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. We had a big party the other day. I wanted to serve several items that are approved on Plan Z. This beef recipe can even be eaten on the ZReduction portion of the diet. My goal is tasty diet food. This one fits the bill and is a perfect summer party menu item. Cold.
NOTE: If you're in the ZReduction phase of Plan Z, you're going to limit your portion to 4 oz of the beef.
Servings: See recipe notes below.
Ingredients:
For the beef:
- You could roast a tenderloin and slice it for this dish or if you are like me (busy and wanting to make this dish easy), you will go to your deli. Look for the large roast beef portion and ask the deli person to shave the beef for you. 4 pounds of shaved (very lean) beef will make a large platter. If it’s on the buffet I’d say it will serve at least 12 – 16 with a regular serving; assuming they will also be eating other things. Just usually plan on ¼ pound per person, or 4 oz of beef if you're in the Z2 (ZReduction) phase of Plan Z.
- Arrange the shaved beef in the center of a large platter. Leave a rim around the sides to spread the sauce. That way people can take out their beef and spoon as much sauce on as they like. If your guests are like mine they will be timid with the sauce at first and then will want to know where to get more. (If on the diet stick to 2 Tbl of sauce)
For the sauce:
- 4 tsp of grated orange rind. You can do this with fresh oranges or you could use dried orange peel that’s been grated (in a jar in the spice section of your store)
- ½ cup of fresh orange juice
- ½ cup of Bragg’s aminos
- 5 Tbl of balsamic vinegar
- 6 tsp of Truvia (stevia) sweetener
- 1 cup of chopped green onions
- 1 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 Tbl of drained and rinsed capers
- 2 cloves of minced garlic (jar garlic will work)
- 2 tsp of sesame seeds
- ½ tsp of sea salt, grated
Instructions:
Put the orange rind, orange juice, Braggs, vinegar and stevia in a small sauce pan. Heat to a slow boil and reduce by half. 6 -10 minutes. This will thicken the sauce and intensify the flavors. Set it aside to cool.
When cool, put the rest of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Add the liquid and pulse to combine. You are whizzing it to get it mixed and cut up the big chunks but don’t need to whiz it into a liquid. It should be somewhat lumpy.
Spread the sauce around the beef and serve.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Horseradish Burgers with a Warm Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This makes a nice, easy lunch or quick dinner.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of ground sirloin
- 2 Tbl of fresh horseradish from the deli section/chilled. This is NOT horseradish sauce in the ketchup aisle. The latter has sugar in it. You want straight horseradish.
- 1 cup of chopped green onions
- 2 cups of cherry tomatoes cut in half.
- ¼ cup of organic vegetable broth
- 4 handfuls of salad greens
- 1 small cucumber cut into slices
Instructions:
Take the ground sirloin and add the horseradish. Mix with your hands to get the horseradish distributed. Divide into 4 burgers. I do this when I get home from the grocery store and I freeze the patties in little sandwich bags. I don’t bother with freezer bags because they aren’t going to be in the freezer more than 10 days. We eat these burgers pretty fast for lunches.
When ready to grill your burger, lightly spray olive oil on the grill and add the burgers. Grill like you normally do your burger. You can grate sea salt on it since your salt intake is not limited.
In a sauté pan add your green onions and tomatoes with the broth. Saute on medium while the burgers cook. All you are really doing is heating the veggies. Season with salt and pepper.
To plate the meal, lay down your salad. Add the burger on top and the veggies. The cucumbers are off to the side.
This makes a nice, easy lunch or quick dinner.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Great Steak
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Many grocery stores now have 6-8 oz filet mignon steaks available. They are about 3/4 “ thick and a perfect size for Plan Z. Here in Chicago they are also often on sale for less than $6 per person. Otherwise ask your butcher to cut you one.
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 6-8 oz filet mignon
- 1 Tbl of Bragg’s Aminos
- 1 Tbl of organic Worcestershire sauce
- Sea salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place your filet on a plate. Pour each of the liquids over the top. Then dip the bottom in what runs off. Grate with sea salt to taste (steak houses put a lot of sea salt on your steak and keep in mind you are not on a salt-restricted diet).
Let the steaks sit 5 – 10 minutes to marinate. The closer they are to room temperature they better they cook.
Heat a cast iron pan or sauté pan on medium high heat. Add a spritz of olive oil spray and put in your steak salt-side down. Sear one side for about a full minute in order to get a “crust” on that side. Turn over.
Then you are going to roast the steak to finish it. Many top restaurants do it this way. It keeps it moister. If your sauté pan cannot handle 400 degree heat, transfer your steak to a Pyrex or high heat container that can be put in a very hot oven.
Roast the steak at 400 degrees until it’s the temperature you like. Keep a rule of thumb in mind. 6 minutes per inch for medium rare. So if you want rare, check it at 5 minutes and if want medium add :30 – 1 minute and so on.
Let sit for just a minute before you serve to retain juices. Don’t let it sit very long because a small, thin steak will cool off fast.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola Burgers
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. The back story of these burgers is there was once a restaurant in Chicago named Hillary’s. Hillary’s was located in Water Tower (a shopping center) on Michigan Avenue. We used to go to Hillary's fairly often. I loved their Hillary Burger.
Hillary’s closed so I was faced with trying to figure out what was IN a Hillary burger or go without them forever. I think I did a pretty good job of figuring it out. And now I’m sharing this burger with Zola Dieters worldwide. So, that’s why it’s now called The Zola Burger.
These burgers are ultra-easy to make. You can even form patties and freeze them for later grilling or grill a bunch at once so you can have leftovers for food you can transport to the office and reheat. Don’t be put off if you are not normally a cumin fan. These burgers have a wonderful flavor.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of ground sirloin
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- ½ of a red bell pepper minced
- ½ tsp of black pepper
- celery salt
Instructions:
In a large bowl plop in your ground sirloin. Add the cumin, garlic powder, black pepper and the minced red pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands and form into 4 patties. Sprinkle celery salt to taste on top of the patties.
Take out your grill pan. Lightly spray with a bit of olive oil. Grill the first side on medium high until you get some good grill marks. Then flip over and cook the other side on medium until it gets to the doneness level you like.
Enjoy!
Cheers,