Taco Seasoning

• ⅔ c. chili powder
• 6 Tbsp. ground cumin
• ¼ c. dried oregano
• ¼ c. onion powder
• ¼ c. garlic powder
• ¼ c. smoked paprika (or regular)
• 1 Tbsp. salt

Mix together & store in air tight container. 3 T = 1 packet taco seasoning (seasons 1 lb ground beef)

Sugar Free Jello

Courtesy of:

https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/easy-keto-jello/

• 2 cups water
• natural food coloring
• 1/2 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener or 3 T + 1 t Gentle Sweet
• Flavoring to taste (about 1/2 t)
• 1 tbsp grassfed gelatin

• In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the water and enough food coloring to achieve a bright blue. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan.
  
• Whisk in the powdered sweetener and extract to taste. Sprinkle the surface with the gelatin and let sit 3 minutes to bloom.
• Turn the heat on to medium low and whisk until the gelatin dissolves completely. Do not let it come to a boil.
• Divide the gelatin between 4 glass dessert cups (1/2 cup capacity each). Add a few fres berries if desired. Refrigerated 3 hours until set.

Can use 2 packets of THM hydrates in place of food coloring.

I have tried 2 orange packets w ½ t Apricot Flavoring & chopped apricots. 

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup butter, melted & slightly cooled
• ½ cup canola, vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups packed shredded zucchini
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, add the eggs, melted butter, oil, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Stir until smooth. You might have a few small brown sugar clumps and that is fine.
• Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, don’t overmix. Stir in the shredded zucchini until just combined. Stir in 1 ½ cups of the chocolate chips.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of chocolate chips over the top of the bread. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out mostly clean, you might have some melted chocolate chips on the toothpick and that is fine. You just don’t want a lot of gooey batter.
• Remove the pan from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the bread and carefully remove from the pan. Let the bread cool on the wire cooling rack until slightly warm. Cut into slices and serve.
•  The bread will keep on the counter, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 4 days. This bread also freezes well. To freeze, cool the bread completely and wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost before slicing.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

1 loaf French bread, about 1 lb.

1 stick salted butter, room temperature

6 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup Italian salad dressing

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Fresh Parsley, to garnish

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Combine the butter, garlic, Italian salad dressing, and 1 cup of the Mozzarella cheese in a large bowl until well incorporated.
• Slice the French bread in half horizontally and spread the top of each half with equal amounts of garlic butter.
• Place the halves on a baking sheet, butter side up. Top with Parmesan cheese, then with remaining Mozzarella.
• Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
• Increase heat to 450° and bake for up to 8 additional minutes, until the top begins to brown. Keep an eye on it during this time.
• Remove and cut into 1-inch slices. Garnish with parsley 

Raspberry Pretzel Jello

• 6 oz package raspberry Jell-O
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 ½ cups salted pretzel sticks, before crushing
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 stick 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 8oz package cream cheese - softened
• 1 8oz package Cool Whip - thawed in the refrigerator
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 12 oz bag frozen raspberries - thawed in refrigerator

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

1. Combine 6 Oz packet of Jell-O with 2 cups of boiling water and set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Crush 2 ½ cups of pretzels in a ziploc bag, using a rolling pin.
3. Melt 1 stick of butter than add ¼ cup sugar in saucepan. Add pretzels and mix together.
4. Lightly press pretzel mix into a 13x9 -inch pyrex dish and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, then cool to room temperature.
5. While pretzel mix is cooling down, beat 8 oz of cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar on medium/low speed until well-combined.
   
6. Next, stir in Cool Whip using a spatula and mix until well combined.
7. Spread mixture over cooled pretzels and go all the way to the edges of the dish to create a seal. You don't want the jello to leak into the pretzels. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
8. Place raspberries evenly on top of the cream filling and pour Jell-O over raspberries and refrigerate until jello is set.

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

• 2 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 lemon (juice + zest)
• ¼ cup honey

• Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
• Peel sweet potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces, and add to a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper

• Add butter and olive oil to a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and honey. Simmer for one minute on low heat.
• Pour the lemon butter over the sweet potatoes. Toss well to make sure the sweet potatoes are evenly coated.
• Transfer sweet potatoes onto the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Check for doneness and add additional time if needed.
• Serve and enjoy. I love serving honey roasted sweet potatoes with broiled salmon and cucumber salad.

Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

• 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Fresh rosemary, optional

RUB:

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

SAUCE:

• ½ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 6 cloves garlic smashed
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• Pat dry pork tenderloins with paper towels.
• Combine in a small bowl the rub ingredients; whisk to combine.
• Take the rub and sprinkle it all over the pork. Use your hands to rub it into the pork well.
• Add olive oil to a large skillet and set over medium heat; add pork and sear for a couple of minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
• Combine the sauce ingredients and add the mixture to the slow cooker.
• Place pork in the slow cooker.
• Add some fresh rosemary.
• Cover slow cooker with a lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 3 hours.
• Check for doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat; pork is done when internal temperature reaches 145˚F.
• Remove pork from slow cooker and transfer to a cutting board; cover it with foil and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
• Slice and serve. Garnish with chopped parsley and some rosemary

Creamy Tuscan Chicken

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 teaspoons salt, for the chicken
• 1 teaspoon pepper, for the chicken
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ onion, diced
• ¼ c sundried tomatoes, diced 
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.
3. Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the skillet and cook for about 13 minutes to crisp up the skin. Move the chicken around from time to time to ensure it cooks evenly. The skin should be hard to the touch.
4. Flip the chicken, then cook for about another 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from pan.
5. Add the garlic and onion, stirring until onions are translucent. Stir in the tomatoes and spinach until the spinach is wilted.
6. Add the heavy cream, salt, and pepper, bringing to a boil.
7. Add the Parmesan cheese and parsley, stirring until the sauce has thickened slightly.
8. Place the chicken back in the pan, spooning the sauce on top of the chicken.

I have used boneless thighs before, just cook for less time. Can also use canned or fresh tomatoes. Serve over rice, noodles or caulirice. 

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla

2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup regular chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350⁰ and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In the mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture and beat until well combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Use a medium cookie scoop to drop dough onto baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes.

Or use large cookie scoop & bake for 12 minutes. 

Let the cookies set on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to set up before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Yum!

Philly Cheesesteak Bowls

Sauce:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup cream cheese

6 ounces provolone

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

Bowls:

1 pound ribeye (can use venison)

Montreal steak seasoning

3 T olive oil, divided

1 yellow onion, sliced into rings

2 bell peppers, sliced

1 tsp salt; divided

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

Pat steak dry & place in the freezer for 10-20 minutes (this makes it easier to slice).

Use a sharp steak knife to slice it into thin strips against the grain. Season generously with steak seasoning. Allow steak to rest with the seasoning on for 30 minutes, or in the fridge overnight.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 T oil & saute yellow onions, bell peppers, salt & pepper until soft & the onions are caramelized.

Meanwhile, combine heavy cream & cream cheese in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk as the cream cheese starts to melt.

Once the cream cheese has melted and the sauce starts to gently simmer, remove from the heat and stir in provolone, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and hot sauce.

Once veggies are tender, set them aside.

Add remaining 1 T oil to the skillet. Add steak, and cook until lightly browned (about 45-60 seconds on each side).

Divide the veggies and steak into 4 bowls. Ladle cheese sauce over the top. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Cheesy Potatoes

2 lbs. frozen hash browns, thawed

3/4 cup  (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted and divided

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped onion or green onion (or 1/4 c dried minced onion)

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

2 cups sour cream

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups crushed corn flakes

Preheat oven to 350⁰. Grease a 9×13″ pan or baking dish; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine thawed hash browns with 1/2 cup of the melted butter, pepper, salt, and chopped onion, blending well. Add in the soup and sour cream, then the cheddar cheese, mixing everything well. Spread mixture evenly into a 9×13″ baking dish. Mix remaining 1/4 cup melted butter and the crushed corn flakes together and sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake at 350⁰, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes. Serve hot.

Raspberry Sauce

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

3 cups frozen raspberries

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix all in saucepan & cook until the sugar is dissolved & raspberries are broken down a bit. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve over Cheesecake. Yum!

To make low carb:

Use 1/2 c Swerve sweetener & 1/8 t Xanthan gum or glucomannan to thicken.