Turkey Stir Fry

What to do with all that turkey that you have leftover.  Well this is the perfect quick dinner dish.  Add all the veggies that you enjoy and you have a healthy LC dinner.  The only thing that takes time with this dish is getting all those veggies cut.  But all that work is well worth the end result.

Ingredients:
left over turkey (or chicken)
3 small sweet pepper (I used red, yellow and orange)
1 medium onion
1 1/2 stalk celery
2 carrots
5 cauliflower florets
15-20 snow peas
1 pkt chicken broth
2 TBL cornstarch
1-2 TBL soy sauce
1 1/2 TBL sesame oil
oil for frying

In a large skillet heat the regular oil, add a few pieces of onion to get the oil flavorful, add the rest of the veggies and stir fry until almost tender,  add the soy sauce, sesame oil and cooked turkey then add the chicken broth packet and water.    In a small cup add about 1/2 cup of water and the cornstarch and stir until you have a slurry, add that to the veggies and meat.  Cook until it thickens.
Serve over your choice of either faux fried rice *here* or regular rice.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful weekend and Remember to Find the Time to Do All the Things YOU L♥ve
D♥nna

Faux Twice Baked Potato - LC

I belong to Atkins online and we have a wonderful group that shares life stories regarding weight loss, food and just everyday living. (group name on forum is 50-60's with 30-40 lbs to lose) One of the gals talked alot about Almost Twice Baked Potato and so I finally decided to give it a try.  I changed a few things from here  .  I roasted a turkey the other day and one of them meals I made this was the side along with sauteed snow peas.  The dinner was really good and best part is was all Low Carb.  If you are trying to lose weight and struggle you should give LC a try.  It's a very healthy way to eat and best of all you can lose weight and inches.  I have been LC'ing now for almost 2 years, my weight loss has been steady and slow and I have lost 31 lbs....feel fantastic and have lots of clothes that now fit.

printable

Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower
4 oz. soft cream cheese
3 TBL butter
green onion 3 or 4 tops included
3-5  slices bacon
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (or colby/jack)
1/2 cup muenster cheese, grated
4 heaping TBL sour cream (more if you like)

Directions:
Preheat oven 350°, grease a 8x8 baking dish or a 2 qt. casserole dish.  Cut the cauliflower and cook in the microwave in a large bowl for about 12-15 minutes.  (can cook on top of stove also) until tender.  Drain.  Cook the bacon until crisp, when done use the grease from the bacon to saute your onion.  Put cauliflower in dish and mash, but leave some small chunky pieces, mix in the cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar, and muenster.  Chop the bacon and add that and the onions to the cauliflower.  Mix well.  Bake for 20-40 minutes.  The last 10 minutes top with some more cheese and turn to oven til melted.  Serve.  YUM
 I served this with a roasted turkey and salad.

Makes about 6 servings
per serving:  approximately 324 calories; 27 g fat, 145g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 4 net carbs.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
D♥nna

Basic Butternilk Quick Bread w/many variations

 

Basic Buttermilk Quick Bread

Makes one loaf
2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (4 oz) white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz) buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 cup (2 oz) unsalted butter, olive oil, or vegetable oil
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray a standard 9x5 loaf pan.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Melt the butter, if using. Whisk it in a separate bowl with the buttermilk and the egg.
Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients. Gently stir and fold the ingredients until all the flour has been incorporated and a shaggy, wet batter is formed. Be careful not to over-mix.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and pat it into the corners. Bake for 45-50 minutes. When finished, the loaf should be domed and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing and slicing.
Wrap baked loaves tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Baked loaves can also be wrapped in plastic and aluminum foil and frozen for up to three months.

Basic Variations:
 You can be reduce the sugar to a tablespoon for more savory breads.

Up to half the flour can be substituted with an alternative flour.

 Replace the buttermilk with a mix of yogurt and milk or milk and a squeeze of lemon, milk and sour cream. 
 Use up to 1 1/2 cups fruits, nuts, olives, cheese, or other ingredients, added to the dry ingredients. Use 1-3 teaspoons of herbs or spices, added to the dry ingredients.  Just use your imagination.

These were good but I felt they were missing something, what that something was I don't know.  :)

thanks for stopping by, have a great day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things You Love.

Donna

Sweet and Sour Chicken (baked)

That was a very good meal, and not long to make. 
Instructions

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1½ cup cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
¼ cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup (no sugar added)
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon  soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 carrot sliced thin
1 onion sliced
1 celery stalk sliced
1 small red pepper
Fresh Pineapple (can use 20 oz can of pineapple chunk drained)
2-3 TBL of the pineapple juice
sesame seeds to top

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.
I stirred the chicken every 15 minutes so that it coated them in the sauce.
separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.  After the chicken is cooked, pour oil off and leave a tiny bit in skillet, add the onion saute for a minute or so then add the rest of the veggies.  Add to baking dish.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic salt, mix well add the pineapple. Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour. Stir the chicken every 15 minutes so that it coated them in the sauce.  Just before serving you can sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.  Serve with your favorite rice.   I always make cauliflower fried rice.
Thanks for stopping by, leave a comment if you like.  Have a great week and always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU LOVE.
Donna

Banana and Pineapple Upside Down Cake with a touch of Rum

I had some banana's I need to use and wanted to make something other than the usual banana bread, so this is it.  This was really good but the banana's seemed to overpower the flavor of the cake.  But it was good enough I would make it again.

I adapted this from here

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt

 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/2 white granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tso pure vanilla extract 

3/4 cups milk (I used a bit over 1/3 cup half n half and water)

Banana Topping: 

4 TBL unsalted butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt

3 TBL rum, whiskey or bourbon

2-3 medium-sized bananas, sliced lengthwise 

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

 In a small to medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Next, in a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla; and then mix until the mixture is smooth. 

 To the butter and sugar mixture, mix in half of the flour mixture and the milk. Then, mix in the remaining flour mixture, being sure not to over mix. 

 In a 12-inch cast iron skillet , melt the butter over medium heat. Mix in the brown sugar and salt and stir until the sugar begins to bubble, about 1 minute. Carefully add the bourbon (the mixture will sizzle!) and mix one more time. Turn off the heat and let stand for a few minutes to cool slightly. Next, arrange the bananas to your liking. 

 Pour the batter over the bananas, and spread the batter gently so it's nice and even. Transfer the cast iron skillet to the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. To invert the cake, place a (large enough) plate on top of the cast iron skillet and turn both of them over; lift up the cast iron skillet and voila! Your cake! 
Thanks for stopping by, have a great day and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things You Love.
Donna

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Yet another comfort dish for these cold winter days in Kansas.  Our local grocery store had asparagus on sale so of course I bought some.  Micheal Simon from Iron Chef and the Chew recommends that you save all your stems and such for making soups and stocks.  Well when I made the pork chop I also had asparagus and took the bottoms that I snapped off and made this wonderful soup.  Great for a cold day.  It's super easy and quick to make and I'm sure you'll have all the ingredients in your pantry.  So the next time you have asparagus, broccoli or other veggies remember not to toss the parts you cut off.  If you don't make something right away put them in freezer bags for future use.

Ingredients:
bottom from aparagus
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 carrot sliced or diced
1-2 stalks celery, tops and all
2-3 TBL flour
1/4 - 1/3 cp white wine
1/4 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
2 TBL parsley
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 cup water (may need more)
1 packet chicken stock
1/2 - 3/4  half n half
1-2 TBL butter
1-2 TBL bacon fat

In a sauce pan  heat and then add the bacon fat and butter, when melted added 1/2 the onion, saute until clear add a pinch of salt, add the garlic cook about 30 seconds or so.  Add the flour and stir til you have a sand color, add the wine and cook for a minute or two.  Add 1/2 cut of water and  the asparagus, 1/2 the carrot and 1/2 the celery, cook for about 3-5 minutes.  With an emulsion blender cream the ingredients in the pot.  When smooth add the rest of carrots, onion, and celery.  Add the chicken stock more water and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the half n half and sour cream  and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Add parsley, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy
Thanks for taking time to stop by and Always Remember to Find the Time to DO all the Things You L♥ve.
Donna

Happy Birthday Jake

Today is my youngest grandson's birthday.  He is 12 today, wow how the years
fly by.
He loves to fish with his grandpa Jerry and also hunt, rodeo and just be a boy.
Here's a few pictures of him.  Wish I were there to celebrate with you.
Love you very much.
Mammy

  The second one he is with his sister Lyndsey.  Love them both so much and wish I were closer.
xoxoxoxoxox