Sauteed Apples
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe
Sauteed apples can be used as a dessert or side dish. If you use it as a side on ZReduction you will still eat your veggie but you won’t eat dessert. This is like eating dessert early.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- ¼-1/2 cup of water
- 4 large tart apples. I use Granny Smith. You can core AND peel them. It’s up to you. You will notice I left the peels on. I like the extra fiber.
- 2 tsp of cornstarch dissolved in a couple more Tbl of water.
- 3 tsp of Truvia or to taste
- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp of ground nutmeg
Instructions:
In a large skillet add the apples. Put enough water in to come halfway up the pile of apples. Set heat to boil. When it begins boiling turn it down to medium and toss the apples periodically until about half done. Add the cornstarch in water, the other elements. Continue to cook and stir so the coating gets on all of the apples. As the cornstarch thickens the sauce it will look almost like a light caramel. Continue to cook on medium until as much liquid evaporates as you’d like.
Cook until apples are done to your liking.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve warm. Works great as a side dish with a pork chop. I served it with the pork and green beans. As a dessert it will remind you of the insides of an apple pie. Warm and gooey.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Sweet and Spicy Pecans
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. Instead of serving pecan pie for dessert this year, how about serving these as an appetizer/snack offering? They are amazingly addictive, and they are Zolafied. These are yummy and go well with any appetizers or snacks. You can serve these:
- As an appetizer or snack
- Have a small bowl of these while you watch a movie. No popcorn! These will fill you up too.
- You can have a half cup of vanilla ice cream (I use So Delicious brand made with coconut milk; it's better for you) and then have a few of these broken up on top with a few berries for garnish)
- As part of an appetizer (Antipasti) platter
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of pecan halves
- 2 Tbl of butter or ghee
- 3 – 5 tsp of Truvia (To your taste or that of your guests. For me, I only use 2 tsp of Truvia. I am banking that you will be serving these to folks who have not done the diet, therefore I am predicting at least the first batch they will like them sweeter but I will leave that judgment call up to you. If you make them sweeter, keep in mind that YOU won't be able to eat as many.)
- 4 tsp of cinnamon
- ½ tsp of salt
- Wisp of cayenne (or more to your taste)
Instructions:
Melt the butter or ghee in a large skillet. Add the pecans and cook for 2 – 3 minutes to coat the pecans. Stir often. When a few begin to brown on the edges, quickly take them out of the pan and put in a heat proof bowl or other container. Add the other seasonings. Stir.
If you like the idea of zippy with your sweet you can add more cayenne.
These will keep very well in an airtight container so you can make a big batch to last through a long holiday weekend.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Fried Apples
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe.
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 large Granny Smith apple cut into cubes
- 3 Tbl of butter
- 1 tsp of Truvia
Instructions:
Put the butter in a large sauté pan. Begin to melt it. Add the apples and Truvia and stir. Fry the apples on medium heat until they are softened. Some will begin to brown just a tidbit.
Serving Suggestions:
I serve this warm with cinnamon buttered pecans on top.
These would also be perfect as a topping on almond pound cake.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Roasted Tomato Salsa
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: 6 large tomatoes will make about 3 cups of salsa. You can freeze leftovers in small containers and take them out in the middle of winter. The roasting of the tomatoes and the use of chipotle peppers makes for a deeper flavor and a bit of smokiness to the end product.
Ingredients:
- 6 large, ripe tomatoes or a variety of smaller ones.
- 1 medium onion cut into chunks
- 1/3 cup of cilantro leaves
- 2 garlic cloves minced or crushed
- 2 small chipotle peppers from the can (in adobo sauce). Pour in a tsp or two of sauce.
- 2 tsp of ground cumin
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If convection oven you can use 375 degrees.
Get out your broiler pan. Cut tomatoes in halves or quarter for the really large ones. Spray your pan with olive oil spray and place the tomatoes, skin-side up on the rack over the pan. Place in the oven and roast until the skins are all wrinkly and some of the surfaces have turned light brown. Even darker brown is good. This will take about 20 – 30 minutes. Keep an eye on them toward the end. Take out to cool so it’s safer when blending.
In a food processor add the onion chunks, cilantro, garlic, chipotle peppers, and cumin. Whiz just to break it up into chunks. I don’t want liquefied salsa. I want some substance to it. Add the tomatoes and whiz just to break them up and get the consistency of salsa you like.
This salsa will have a kick to it but the kick will be more subtle and come later. If you want a forward kick to your salsa, add chili powder or hot sauce as you choose. By having the kick more subtle it lends itself better to be used as a sauce on grilled foods.
Serve this salsa over a grilled chicken, grilled fish or even your favorite meat. You can also, of course, serve it with chips (Z3) or Melba Rounds (Z2). Just be sure to serve yourself a portion and double dip as appropriate to keep the carbs down.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Salad Dressing for ZReduction
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. BEWARE: This is a no-frills "I-just-want-to-wet-my-salad" recipe from the early days of the Plan Z Diet. I created this recipe before we allowed oil in ZReduction. Yes, that's right, when we first started Plan Z, no oil was allowed - not even in salad dressing. The recipe below is a golden oldie. Keep in mind, if you are looking for a mellow, tasty, salad dressing, this is not your recipe. This is a heavy-duty dieter recipe for folks who are eliminating all oils and just want their salad greens "wet."
Please note: Certain regular, full-fat salad dressings are allowed on ZReduction. To learn more about salad dressings that you can buy that are approved for ZReduction click here.
Servings: See details below.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of water
- 1/3 cup of vinegar*
- 1-2 packets of stevia**
- herbs, spices and salt and pepper to taste. Mustard too
Instructions:
Making dressing is very easy on Plan Z. A blender is a handy device to make this. A “bullet-style” blender makes it a breeze if you have one.
I have laid out the proportions above to make a generous amount of dressing but you can just follow the proportions if you want to make a smaller amount. Just remember the portions are 3 to 1. So if you are making dressing for one serving, 3 Tbl of water and 1 Tbl of vinegar would do it. See the process?
Your serving of dressing for a salad is 2 Tbl max of any dressing. All you are really trying to do is give your greens some extra flavor.
Suggestions for kinds of vinegar include:
Apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine, garlic red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, balsamic and on and on. There are so many flavors now. Read labels so you don’t choose one with sugar in it.
Suggestions for stevia:
This is a matter of taste. Some like their dressings sweet; others like more vinegar flavor so just add a bit and keep adding til you find out how much you like for a dressing. For an Asian dressing I might add more stevia so I get a sweet dressing or a sweet-hot dressing.
Herbs, spices, salt and pepper:
Go crazy. You can use any of these and choose your amounts.
- For a French dressing I’d use a white or red vinegar, and tarragon. For the larger amount of dressing a tsp of tarragon is fine. Add salt and pepper to taste and you’re set. When you get a bit more daring you’d add a Tbl of sugar-free mustard to this and maybe a bit of garlic
- For a dressing over cucumber salad I’d use apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper. That’s the basic. For a spicy dressing, you can add cayenne
- For a Mexican dressing get out your oregano and chili powder. Add to the water/vinegar combo
- For an Indian slant, I’d add cumin or curry powder or both to my dressing
Just experiment with your spice and dried herb collection. It’s really an open field.
Suggestion for travel:
Get some small baby-food jars so you can carry dressing in your purse or pocket. This is one thing you’ll need to take to a restaurant unless you want to just dress your salads with vinegar. They will bring the oil to your table, but don’t use it.
If you order a grilled piece of meat on top of your salad, often the juice from the meat is satisfying without the dressing. The further you get into ZReduction the less likely you are to miss the dressing but either way, you’re covered.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Barbecue Rub - Zola Style
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe that can be used on burgers, fish, chicken, or ribs (use on ribs during Z3-ZReboot phase).
Servings: 1 serving
Ingredients:
- ½ tsp of smoked paprika
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- 1 packet of Truvia
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp of celery salt
- 1 tsp of dry mustard
Instructions:
Mix all of these together in a bowl. This will coat up to 3 lbs of ribs. If you want you can make double and it will keep in your cupboard in a sealed container.
Serving Suggestions:
Use on any Z2 or Z3 approved meat, fish, or poultry for a great barbecue flavored rub.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Steak Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This stuff tastes amazing on grilled steak, chicken, grilled shrimp. You name it. This is not barbecue sauce. This is more like the stuff you pour out of the bottle after your cooked meat is on your plate. My husband looked at me and said, “You could bottle this stuff.” That’s a big compliment. Try it. The reduced balsamic makes it slightly sweet. The Worcestershire makes it slightly smoky. The Dijon adds a tanginess.
Servings: up to 2 Tbl. Use sparingly. I just dip my meat pieces in it to get a bit of coating. I don’t smother it although it would be a possibility in Z3.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of balsamic vinegar (Find a decent one but don’t overspend. The better the vinegar the better the sauce. I spend about $7 You’ll have more leftover for making dressings etc)
- ½ cup tomato sauce (no sugar)
- 1 tsp of Truvia (optional)
- ½ cup of minced shallots (mild onion)
- 2 Tbl of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbl of dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp of allspice
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Put the balsamic vinegar in a heavy saucepan and put on medium-high until it begins to bubble. Then turn it down to medium and let it continue to bubble until it reduces by half. This might take about 10 minutes. This is the hardest part of making this. You have to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t boil over or boil down so far it burns. Just eye it. When you are down about half, pour it into a heat-proof bowl for a minute.
Rinse the pan and dry it. That way if there is any residue stuck to the bottom of your pan you get it out or it might make the sauce taste burned. Then resume.
Put the reduced vinegar in the pan and add the rest of the ingredients. Heat on medium-low just until the flavors blend and it’s all warm. Maybe 10 minutes.
You have an option now… you can blend it so it’s totally smooth or leave the onion bits in like I do.
Serve warm or room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week or so. This does not have preservatives in it so it will eventually spoil; unlike the commercial version that can live in your refrigerator for what seems like forever.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Shallot Dressing
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. From Zola’s blender comes another dressing for Plan Z Reduction!
Servings: Serving size for Z2 is 2 Tablespoons, max.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup of vinegar. Red wine or balsamic are good choices but you can use almost any vinegar. For a sweeter dressing use apple cider vinegar.
- 3 tsp of dijon mustard (find one with no sugar added)
- 1 tsp of minced garlic
- ½ - 1 tsp of Truvia. Start with ½ tsp of see if it’s sweet enough for you.
- 1 tsp of dried thyme
- 4 large fresh basil leaves (you can use dried basil in a pinch)
- 2 tsp of capers (drained and rinsed)
- 1 large shallot or 2 medium-sized shallots (you want approximately 1/3 cup of minced shallots)
Instructions:
Whiz all of this in a blender. Taste and adjust seasoning. You can add sea salt and pepper if you want. If you want the dressing more liquefied, add a bit of water to get it to the consistency you like.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Traditional, Smoky Barbecue Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
This barbecue sauce is most like the tangy sauces you find in a jar at the store. This just doesn’t have the nasty sugar they add to all of the other sauces. You can always make this sauce spicier by adding cayenne, chili powder or hot sauce. If you make it following this recipe it will be tangy and smoky without any real fiery taste.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz tomato sauce (find one with no sugar in the ingredients list)
- 6 oz of tomato paste (same thing, no sugar)
- 1 cup of water
- ¼ cup of cider vinegar
- 1 tsp of liquid smoke
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- 2 tsp of Truvia
If you want to add some kick, you can also add these ingredients (they are all optional):
- 1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- dash of garlic powder
Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium until well blended and flavors meld. Stir often.
Serving Suggestions:
For Z2 you can use 2 Tbl of this sauce on a grilled chicken breast.
For Z3 you can use this sauce on chicken or ribs. To cook the ribs I put them in a large pan. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over a rack of ribs (use back ribs/pork). Roast the ribs for about 3 hours at 275 degrees. When the meat begins to shrink off the bones they will be ready to eat. I pour a bit more sauce over the ribs and cook them just 10-15 minutes more and they are ready to eat.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Spicy Asian Dressing
This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serving Size 2 Tbl. maximum
Ingredients:
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (jar garlic will work)
- ½ tsp or to taste of dried red chili pepper flakes
- 2 Tbl of fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbl of fish sauce (nam pla). The fish sauce you buy might list a bit of sugar as an ingredient. In this case, the amount you are going to use is negligible.
- 1 medium serrano pepper. Just take off the stem and you’ll use the whole pepper.
- ½ tsp of Truvia.
- 1/3 cup of dijon mustard (no sugar)
- 1 cup of chopped tomatoes from a can, drained
Instructions:
Put this all in a small blender. Whiz until blended.
Serving Suggestions:
This is a very spicy dressing. I served it over grilled chicken tenders on a big salad with raw veggies. Really flavorful.
You can also heat this dressing and eat it warm if you´d like.
Keep in mind this is a fresh dressing and it won’t have preservatives in it like a bottled dressing will. It should keep in your refrigerator 4 – 5 days. Be finished with it or toss it after that.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
"Not Heinz" Catsup/Ketchup and Cocktail Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe submitted by Plan Z dieter JoAnn.
JoAnn says, "I really wanted to have a cocktail sauce with my shrimp, so I did some exploring. This is an adaptation from Joy of Cooking. Their base was a homemade ketchup so that's where I started. They used fresh tomatoes, but I will wait for those until they are in-season in Wisconsin. The Cocktail Sauce recipe calls for 3/4 cup of the Ketchup recipe."
Servings: 1 serving size is approximately 2 to 2 1/2 Tablespoons.
For the Ketchup
Ingredients:
- 1 cup crushed canned tomatoes (no sugar)
- 1 med onion, minced
- 2 oz red pepper chopped small
- 1-1/2 tsp Truvia
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp mace
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp cloves (optional)
- 1/8 tsp dry mustard
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions:
In a non-stick skillet, simmer tomatoes, onions and red peppers till soft. Add Truvia, spices, vinegar, and salt. Simmer 5-10 minutes to meld flavors.
Pour the mixture into the blender (careful it's hot) and lightly blend. If you are making the cocktail sauce that follows, do not to make it too smooth.
Set aside 3/4 cup of mixture for cocktail sauce. The balance of the sauce can now be pureed in the blender until smoother. Use as a condiment. I reduce my veggies by the amount of ketchup I use.
For the cocktail sauce:
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup homemade ketchup (above)
- 1/8 - 1/4 cup horseradish (depending on how much kick you want) Juice from one lemon dash of hot pepper sauce (again to personal taste)
Instructions:
Stir all ingredients to mix well. Refrigerate in a sealed jar. I use approx 2 Tblsp. per serving (and reduce my veggies by the corresponding amount).
The serving size I have been using is about 2 to 2-1/2 Tblsp. I do adjust my veggies by the 2 Tblsp.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Herb Mustard Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. One of the most difficult things to do for the ZReduction phase of the diet is to come up with sauces that don’t taste sour. When you leave out the olive oil, for a lot of things this is a challenge. Not with this sauce. It’s versatile, too. You can use it with chicken or with fish. Simple grilled chicken or grilled fish will work. Or even as a sauce for green beans or asparagus.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbl of dijon mustard (no sugar on the ingredients list)
- 1 Tbl of minced fresh parsley
- 1 Tbl of minced fresh oregano (try to get fresh but in a pinch or tsp of each in dried form will work. It just won’t have as fresh a taste)
- 1 Tbl of water
- 1 sprinkle of cayenne for a bit of zip (to taste)
Instructions:
Mix all of these in a small bowl with a fork or teeny whisk. Ready to serve. You can put it on the side and use it as a dipping sauce or you can drizzle.
Last time I made it I put it on the side of the crispy chicken. This was the most sophisticated and tasty version of “Z Nuggets” you could have. It was wonderful.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Fruity-Thick Salad Dressing
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe submitted by dieter Gini. Gini did a great job of coming up with a sweet dressing. I can’t wait to try this on a spinach salad. You see lots of spinach salads on menus that have sliced strawberries on them so why not do a fruit dressing?
The only trick with this dressing is to use as small an amount as possible and definitely don’t go over 2 Tbl. The reason is when you puree blueberries you concentrate them. So when you use this dressing cut your fruit dessert portion down by about half.
Servings: 1 – 2 Tablespoons MAX
Ingredients:
- 2 cups blueberries/blackberries or strawberries.
- 2 Tbl red wine vinegar
- 1/2 pack of Truvia
- enough water to make it a pouring consistency
Instructions:
Whiz in your blender. Add extra water if you want it thinner.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Lemon Pepper Cream Gravy
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Serving Size: 2 – 3 Tablespoons of gravy is the maximum for 1 serving. This will make approximately 1 cup of gravy.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of chicken/turkey drippings. (This is the juice left in the bottom of the pan after roasting the chicken/turkey)
- ½ cup of cream
- juice of one lemon (or to taste)
- grated sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
In a sauté pan, turn the chicken/turkey juices in the bottom of the roasting pan up to high to get them to begin to boil. Turn down to medium-high or to a point where the juices continue to bubble but do not boil over.
Add the cream and lemon juice. Stir to incorporate. Continue to stir and keep the gravy bubbling. The boiling will cause the cream to thicken the gravy. Season with salt and pepper. When the gravy gets to a consistency you like, turn it off and serve.
Variations:
I use this gravy style with all kinds of meats. Pork, Beef, chicken, Turkey etc. Anything that leaves juices in the bottom of the roasting pan is a candidate. The rule of thumb is 2:1. Twice as much juice to the amount of cream. So when I take out a pork roast I might only have a quarter cup of juice in the pan. So I add a few tablespoons of cream and make a bit of gravy. Get the idea?
If there is too much juice then just pour some out before adding the cream. When in doubt, measure the juice before you decide how much cream to add.
You do not need to add any citrus. For most meats, I do not. The lemon pepper cream tastes particularly delightful with chicken or turkey. It makes it very special.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mediterranean Chicken
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 – 6 oz each)
- 6 Tbl of balsamic vinegar (I use white balsamic vinegar)
- 1 large shallot, sliced
- 1 tsp of Special Sh*t*(or your favorite meat rub with no sugar)
- 1 tsp of Italian seasoning
- ½ lemon cut into thin slices for garnish
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place chicken breasts in an oven proof pan. Drizzle on the balsamic vinegar. Then sprinkle on the meat rub and the Italian seasoning. Sprinkle shallot bits around the chicken. Place in the oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink the middle.
When you serve it, drizzle on the leftover juices in the bottom of the pan. They make a great au jus.
I served this with grilled asparagus (grill it in your grill pan if you have one) and sliced tomatoes garnished with basil. I also grilled the lemon slices.
This would also taste good cold or can be microwaved to re-heat.
*I hesitated to even put this ingredient out for your consideration. It’s really spelled like the swear word. Special Sh*t. I know some would be very entertained by this and others would be appalled by the vulgarity. For those of you entertained by it here’s a link to the website. http://www.specialshit.com/
For those not so entertained the ingredients include: salt, pepper, seasoned salt, chili powder, garlic and paprika. You could make your own blend.
I use mine OFTEN. It’s great on meat, fish, veggies and more. I even use it to season nuts as a cocktail snack. I hope you enjoy it, too.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
French Chicken with Zola Veggies
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. Very French Country. And it’s Diet Food!
Servings: Serves 2, can be doubled
Ingredients:
- 2, 6-8 oz organic chicken breast halves, skin removed
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil spray
- 2 shallots minced
- 1 cup of green beans
- ½ red bell pepper sliced into ¼” strips
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- ½ tsp of garlic powder
- 1.5 cups of organic chicken broth (divided)
- ½ tsp of dried tarragon or 2 tsp of fresh tarragon minced
- 1 handful of spinach (optional)
Instructions:
Season the cleaned chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Spray with olive oil lightly. Using your cast iron sauté pan (or another hot ovenproof pan) sauté the chicken topside down for 4 minutes on medium high until that side is golden.
Flip the chicken over and put in your oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. By finishing the chicken in the oven it will remain much juicier.
While the chicken is baking you are going to make the veggie mixture. To a large sauté pan add a light spray of olive oil. Add the shallots and stir periodically just until they loosen. Add ¼ cup of the organic chicken broth and boil until the mixture almost disappears. Then add the beans and red pepper. Saute until they loosen up too. Add garlic powder and the cherry tomatoes along with the rest of the broth. Then add the tarragon. Cook on medium low at a very low bubble for 15 minutes. Your beans should still have a very slight crunch.
Remove the chicken from the oven.
Drizzle a little balsamic reduction and serve.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chicken with a Roasted Tomatillo-Cilantro Sauce
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. For today’s recipe, we’ll concentrate on a “green theme.” This is March and St. Patrick’s Day will be here soon. Lots of folks wear green and some like to eat something green to celebrate. This is Mexican food made with tomatillos. Tomatillos are GREEN. The sauce might be a greenish-brown when completed but it follows the green theme.
Servings: Serves 2 (can easily be doubled)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of tomatillos. Take off paper-like skins, rinse and cut in half. Don’t be alarmed that tomatillos are sort of gooey.
- 3 tsp of minced garlic. (jar garlic will work)
- ½ cup of diced onion
- 1 tsp of dried parsley
- 1 cup of chopped, fresh cilantro
- ½ tsp of chili powder
- 1/8- ¼ tsp of cayenne depending on how spicy you want this.
- ¼ cup of whipping cream
- ½ cup of chicken or veggie broth. If you use veggie broth the sauce color will be more green
- 12 oz of chicken scallopini slices. This is just chicken breast sliced thinly. Most grocery stores sell scallopini slices or you can just slice the chicken breast pieces yourself. You can also just leave them whole, but they will take quite a bit longer to cook
Instructions:
This is a pretty easy dish to make but it falls in the gourmet category so I don’t want to leave anything to chance or intimidate novice cooks.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil. Place your tomatillo halves flat side down. Roast them for 30 minutes or until the edges just barely begin to brown.
When they are done, take them out of the oven and transfer them to a blender. Be very careful. They are hot.
Add to the blender the onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, chili powder, and cayenne. Put the top on tightly. When I am blending HOT liquids I always put a towel over the top and hold it down tightly with one hand while I turn the blender on LOW. Then turn it up to whiz the mixture till smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a saucepan. Cook 7 minutes on medium and then strain the sauce through a sieve. Toss out the solids but be sure to mash them against the strainer to get out as much liquid as possible first. You might have to do this in batches if it’s clogging your sieve.
Put the strained sauce in a saucepan and add the cream and the broth. Gently boil the sauce on medium-high until it begins to thicken. This is still a pretty thin sauce but just boil it until you can see it’s got a thickened look to it.
While the sauce is working you can cook your chicken. Lightly spray a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the thin chicken breast pieces. Season with sea salt and pepper. Then cook them on medium-high until no pink remains. This will take about 3 minutes per side. If the chicken is thicker this might take longer.
Put the chicken on the plate and top with 3 Tbl of sauce per person. In my case, I roasted red and yellow peppers and put them on the plate first. Then I topped them with the chicken and the sauce. You can do whatever veggies suit you. This kept my gourmet Mexican theme intact.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Spicy Chicken Burger with Cinnamon Apple “Bun” and an Arugula-Tomato Salad.
This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. These chicken burgers can be cooked and eaten immediately, or you can pack them in pieces, in containers to go to the office or a picnic. Assemble right before eating. You can eat it cold or warm the chicken. When the chicken is cooked you’ll hardly recognize it as a patty. It stays really moist too.
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 8 oz of ground chicken formed into patties. I buy the chicken by the pound and form the patties as soon as I get home and put them in the freezer. Just take a pound and divide it into 4 sections, approx 4 oz each
- blackening seasoning and cayenne to taste
- 2 slices of Vidalia onion, quarter inch, raw
- 4 slices of granny smith apple. Remove core bits
- 2 slices of beefsteak tomato and a bit of arugula salad for each person
Instructions:
Lightly spray your grill pan with olive oil spray. Season your patties with blackening spice and I even add a bit of cayenne to zip it up even more.
Put the patties, blackening side down on the grill pan. Grill on high or medium-high for 2 minutes to sear that side. Turn to medium and grill until they are done. You want to check to make sure there’s no pink in the middle. This usually takes 5 – 7 minutes more. Because I thaw the patties right before I cook them, sometimes mine are a bit frozen in the middle so I am careful to make sure they get cooked all the way through.
Sprinkle one side of the apple slices with a teeny bit of cinnamon.
Use one slice for the bottom. It’s your “bun.” Put the cooked chicken patty on the apple slice. Then add the onion on top and even the tomato slice if you’d like. Then the “bun top”; which is another slice of apple. Arugula on the side, or if you are daring you can even put that in your sandwich. I like to sort of spread things out during this stage of the diet so it covers more of the plate.
It’s amazing how good this tastes with the cinnamon apple and the spicy chicken.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Sweet Curry Chicken Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and a Zola to GO! recipe. This dish on Z2 will be your fruit and your entrée. This is a super-simple dish for even the novice cooks.
Ingredients for this dish are listed per person. You can make several servings to share with family and friends or it keeps well in your refrigerator.
Ingredients:
- 6-8 oz chicken breast, poached* and shredded**
- a sprinkling of curry powder
- a sprinkling of apple pie spice mix or cinnamon or even nutmeg. Your choice.
- 1 cup of various veggies. My combo included bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes
- 1 cup of fruit. I chopped up an apple (with the peel on it) and tossed in some blackberries. You choose your own combo
- unlimited salad greens
Instructions:
In a true chopped salad, everything is chopped very small so you don’t need your knife to eat any of it. So to make this salad I start off by chopping up romaine lettuce into very narrow strips and then cut it again across the grain so it’s really chopped fine. Put that on a plate.
Next, chop up the veggies and decide on your fruit. Put the veggies and fruit on top of the greens.
Lastly, shred your chicken. Put it in a bowl and sprinkle on the curry and sweet element. How much you put on depends on your tastes. I wanted this salad to have an Indian taste but also still wanted the whole thing to taste pretty sweet. In hot weather curry and fruit make a lovely combination (or anytime, really). So I am pretty liberal in my sprinkle of the curry and the pie spice. Stir.
Mound your chicken on top of the fruit and veg combination. This looks just like the old salads that used to be available at a Walgreen’s lunch counter. If you want a true chopped salad look you’ll mix it all up. It can be eaten either way.
To transport it to work or to an event you might as well mix it all up. The curry and sweetness will both be transferred to the veggies and salad greens. No need for dressing.
Enjoy!
*How to Poach a chicken breast: put your chicken in a pan and cover it with water. Bring it up to a medium boil for approximately 15 minutes or until when you cut into it there’s no pink remaining.
**How to Shred a chicken breast: When the chicken comes out of the poaching liquid you can either shred it hot or wait for it to cool. Then just hold the chicken breast down with one fork and grab at it with the tines of another fork to pull the chicken apart. Just keep pulling the pieces until you get the shreds to a size you like. Some like fully shredded chicken. Others will like chicken that still has some lumps in it.
Both of these things are super-simple. Don’t let instructions freak you out.
Cheers,
Chicken Meatball Soup
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe that comes from Plan Z dieter JoAnn.
Servings: Serves 2
Each serving is 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 8 oz of ground chicken breast
- 1 tsp of herb of choice
- 2 cups of chopped veggies (choose celery, onion, green beans, bok choy, spinach etc)
- 2 cups of organic chicken broth
- 4 Tbl of hunts or Muir Glen organic tomato sauce (no sugar)
- 1 Tbl of dried cilantro (or more to taste)
- ¼ tsp of grated sea salt
Instructions:
Mix ground chicken with the herb of choice. Then form into teeny meatballs (about 1/2” in diameter). Your goal with 8 oz of chicken is 24 meatballs. Use a fork to grab bits of chicken. Keep your hands wet if the chicken is sticking to the palm of your hand.
Spritz a frying pan with olive oil spray. Heat to medium. Add a couple tablespoons of water. Add the meatballs to your frying pan and simmer. Cook the meatballs until no pink remains. Remove them and put them in a bowl while you proceed.
Add more water to the frying pan and add your veggies. Simmer until tender. Add the meatballs to the pan along with the broth, tomato sauce, cilantro and salt. Simmer all about 5 minutes until flavors blend and meatballs are once again hot.
With a salad, bread sticks and fruit, dieter JoAnn found this to be a very satisfying meal. Me too!
Reheat leftovers in the microwave and they still taste great.
Enjoy!
Cheers,