Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all my family and friends and all that visit my blog a very Happy Thanksgiving.  May your day be filled with laughter and good memories and don't forget the L♥ve.  Be thankful for all you have.  I am so blessed with great family and wonderful and caring friends.
This is the first year I can remember in over 40 years that I didn't cook a turkey today.  We are going to my son in laws family for the afternoon.  Should be a wonderful time, we will all be together.  Wish my son and his family were closer would be wonderful to have the entire family gathered at the table.
My son and his wife have an anniversary, I think it's today. (if it was earlier sorry I missed it but was thinking of you) If you see this Monica and Danny congrats on 19 years of marriage and wishing you many more.  Love Mom
Donna

Eye Round Roast

This is such an easy dish to make and is loved by all.  I just bought a new meat
thermometer and this was the perfect things to try it out on.  It worked perfectly too and the meat was medium rare, just the way we all love it.

3 lbs eye round roast
2 cloves of garlic sliced
salt and pepper.

Heat oven to 375°.  Have a pan with a rack ready.
Salt and pepper the roast and then cut little slits on the top of roast and stuff the garlic pieces in the slits.  I made about 6 slits.
In a large skillet heat some oil and brown the roast on all sides.  Put roast on rack and cook in 375° oven for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the thermometer reads 140°,  remove roast and let rest about 15 minutes.  Slice and serve with your favorite sides.  We had mashed potatoes, cheesy cauliflower, corn and homemade biscuits.  The dinner was a big hit as always.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
D♥nna

Southwest Egg Rolls (LC)

I saw a recipe on line somewhere for this type of egg roll and thought .....hmmmm I could make those and make them LC.  With all the lc items on
the market now it would be easy.  I bought some Mission LC tortilla's and the filling is induction friendly too.  You could have just the filling and maybe fry up a tortilla and cut them into chips to cut down on the carb count.  But really for 2 of these it's about 7 carbs and the tortilla are 3 net carbs each...so if you are on OWL these would be great too.

2 chicken breasts
1/2 onion chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup green beans

1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
3-4 TBL chopped green chilli
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup cheese.... (Monterey jack or maybe pepper jack)
8-9 LC tortilla's
oil for frying and more for cooking filling

Filled eggroll:   Freeze them for about two hours.  They fry best if you do this step.
In a skillet, heat oil and add onion, red pepper and salt and pepper.  Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Heat a bit more oil and sprinkle chicken with some chilli powder and cook until almost done.  Remove and shred or cut into pieces, return it to the skillet, add the veggies, the green beans and the spices.  Cook for about 3 - 4 minutes.  Add the cheese a cook for a minute or so.  Remove from heat.  Take about 1 1/2 TBL of filling and put in the center of a tortilla and roll like you would for making egg rolls.  Place in a pan or dish and put in the freezer for about an hour.  Heat the oil to 375° add the egg rolls a couple at a time and cook until golden. 
I served these with Spicy Ranch Dressing (walmart brand) mixed with sour cream.  Delish
Thanks for taking time to stop by, have a great weekend and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things You L♥ve.
D♥nna

Eggplant Rollatini (LC) or not

While I was in NY I had eggplant for the first time.  WOW have I been missing out.  At our high school reunion one of the things on the buffet was this dish.  I had never had it and when I said that sooooooooooooo many classmates were in shock.  There was many kids of Italian decent so this food was a staple for them, and they just could not believe it was something I had never eaten.  So being brave I told them I would try it.  It was out of this world good.  So when we went to NYC to see Motown on Broadway we went out to eat afterwards and I decided I needed to try it again to be sure it was not just a fluke that I liked it.  :)  Again out of this world delicious.  After that meal I decided when I got home I was going to try to make it.  One of my best friends (from HS) helped me with instructions, etc.  Thank you Carole.  So here you have it, and I must say it's a must try.   Now you can make it with regular Italian bread crumbs but I wanted it to be LC so I adapted the recipe and it was just as good....no lie.

Ingredients:
2 eggplant
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs *see below for LC version*
1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
oil for frying
FILLING:

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded  mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Reggiono  cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups of fresh spinach finely chopped 
Mozzarella and provolone for topping
SAUCE:
your favorite or you could use this
  3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup  chicken stock or white wine, eyeball it(she uses white wine)
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes plus 1 can crushed tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
Several leaves basil, torn or chopped, a handful
2 tablespoons  butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

Heat a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil,  garlic, and red pepper and let them cook 5 minutes, garlic will be soft and light golden. Remove garlic. Add stock or wine and stir 30 seconds, add tomatoes and combine. Season the sauce with salt, to taste, then stir basil in and reduce heat to low.

For low carb bread crumbs, 

2 -3 flatout flat bread Italian season (lc) can be found at most stores

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1-2 TBL oregano

1 TBL parsley

1 -2 tsp garlic powder

salt/pepper

Leave the flatbread out so it gets hard.  Process in food processor til you get a find crumb, combine almond and coconut flour and seasonings.  Use this to coat the eggplant when frying.

To make rollatini:

Slice the eggplant on a mandolin, place in a colander with some salt  and let sit for about 30 minutes to draw out moisture.  Pat dry.  Heat oil in skillet and then dip slices in egg then bread crumbs.  Fry until golden on each side.  DON'T over cook.  Place on wax paper and then fill each with mixture and roll up.  Place in a 9x13 pan lined with parchment paper  (easy clean up) and add sauce to the bottom.  When all rolled, put cheese on top and then top with more sauce.  You can then bake it or put in refrigerator until ready to cook.  You could also freeze at this point.

If baking then heat preheat oven 375° and bake for 30-35 minutes.  Serve with your favorite sides.  Enjoy.

The family really enjoy this so it will now become a dish that I will make often.

Have a great day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the things YOU L♥ve.

D♥onna

 

Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Doing Low Carb can be challenging at times.  I have never been a big vegetable eater and there had not been many veggies I would eat.  I had just a small list of veggies which were.....corn, green beans (canned not fresh and not Julianne style) asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower...that's it.  Well last month I had eggplant for the first time and just love it.  Also had some different types of zucchini and so far like all of those.  I'm going to try brussels sprouts again.  I've seen several recipes for them so thought what the hey!  I adapted this  recipe from here.   She has some really good recipes so take the time to look at her many recipes.
I had this with a salad and boy was it filling.  I will make it again for sure.  She has several versions of these stuffed boats so will try adapting them to my taste.

4 medium zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup mild rotel
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 small onion, minced
2 tbsp bell pepper, minced
1/2 large tomato diced
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used mild cheddar and velvetta mixed)
salt and pepper
chopped lettuce and sour cream for the top

Bring a pot of water of salted water to the boil.  Preheat oven to 400°
Cut zucchini in half then with a spoon or melon baller remove inside of zucchini leaving about 1/4 inch.  Put the zucchini 1/2's into boiling water and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes.  Remove and let drain on paper towel.   Dice the zucchini you removed and set aside.  Put the zucchini boats in a roasting pan lined with parchment paper (easy cleanup).  In a skillet, heat olive oil and saute the onions and garlic, add the meat and zucchini and cook until almost done, add spices, salt and pepper and continue to cook for about 15 minutes until meat is done.  Fill the boats, pressing meat into them so they are filled good.  Top with cheese and cover with foil and bake for about 35 minutes until cheese is melted and boats are tender.  Serve with sour cream and lettuce.  Enjoy
Hope you try this recipe, it's a great change from the norm.  Have a great day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things you L♥ve.
D♥nna

baked stuffed chicken rolls

This is a very tasty dish that the entire family will love.  It's loaded with so  much flavor and you would make it low carb if you like.  My changes for doing it low carb are in red.  These pictures are the low carb version because that's the way I eat now, but feel free to make it your way.  I made the fried green tomatoes that night also, and the pasta is Dreamsfield LC spaghetti and a nice salad.  Very filling meal.

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (8 4-ounce pieces)
1 cup whole wheat Italian style bread crumbs (*I used low carb Italian flat-bread let it stay out til it was hard then processed to make crumbs)
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 clove minced garlic and olive oil for sauteing
½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
⅓ cup beaten egg whites
3 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly slice
1 cup marinara sauce
fresh basil for topping


INSTRUCTIONS
Prep the chicken: Cut the chicken into 8 pieces and pound the pieces until they are thin (for quick cooking) and have expanded in surface area (for more filling). Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and set aside.
Prep the filling: Chop the spinach and sautee it with the garlic and just a drizzle of olive oil for 2-3 minutes or until just barely wilted. Combine the sauteed spinach with the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and 2-3 tablespoons of the egg whites. Place the remaining egg whites in a separate shallow bowl and set aside.
Assemble the chicken: Oil the bottom of a large baking dish and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place one piece of chicken on a flat working surface. Put a spoonful of ricotta-spinach filling right in the middle and roll the chicken up so that the edges meet to form a “seam”. Dip the entire chicken roll in egg whites, and then roll it in the breadcrumbs. Place in a baking dish, seam side down. Repeat for the remaining 7 pieces of chicken. Bake for 25 minutes.
Finishing touches: After 25 minutes, the chicken should be cooked through (white on the inside) and browned on the top. Cover the chicken with the marinara sauce and slices of fresh Mozzarella. Bake for another 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melting. Sprinkle with fresh basil.
NOTES
Don’t try to cram all the pieces too close together because if the sides are touching each other, they won’t get crispy. Leaving a little space between each piece allows the breadcrumbs to bake, brown, and get crispy.
Thanks for stopping by, sure hope you try this recipe.  Have a great day and Remember to Find the time to do ALL the things you L♥ve.
Donna

Broiled Lobster Tail

One of our local grocery stores had lobster tails on sale so it was the perfect time to make them.  They are delicious, easy to cook and low in both calories and carbs.  I made this in the toaster oven.  You just cut the shell and pull up the meat, and then put in the toaster oven and bake for about 10 minutes.  The last couple of minutes turn on the broiler and brush with some butter.  YUM.  The green beans are made with bacon and onion.  This was a quick easy delicious dinner.  Oh I might add cheap too, the lobster tails were only $5.00.
Thanks for taking time to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
Donna