Archive for April, 2016

Mediterranean Faux Rice with asparagus and mushrooms

Posted in Main Courses on April 19, 2016 by majcych

Yummy twist on the cauliflower rice… Goes great with the Greek-style stuffed chicken breasts

  
Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cauliflower 
  • Half a bunch of green asparagus chopped on a diagonal 
  • Half a small onion 
  • 5 white mushrooms, chopped 
  • 2 tbsp chopped dill
  • 1/2 cup of white wine or water 
  • Cracked pepper and salt to taste
  • 2 tsps Olive oil 
  • Zest of one lemon

Sauté onion and mushrooms in olive oil, add asparagus. Sauté for 7-10 min. Salt and pepper, add cauliflower pulsed in the food processor to get to the rice size. Add dill and wine, let evaporate a bit, cover and cook on medium for 5-10 min. Add lemon zest salt and pepper.. Done!

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Greek-Syle Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Posted in Chicken, Low carb, Main Courses with tags , , , on April 19, 2016 by majcych

I was sooooo in a mood for something Mediterranean tonight…. But I also wanted to try something new, I haven’t made before. Hmmm, feta, kalamata olives, roasted peppers… Let’s pimp-up the old and boring chicken breast and keep it low carb! 

 

Ingredients: 

  • 1.5 lbchicken breasts
  • 3 tbsp kalamata olives chopped
  • 4 tbsp chopped roasted peppers (from a jar or just roast one red pepper)
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1/3 cup chopped parsley + 1 tsp for garnish
  • 1 cup baby spinach slightly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
  • 1 tsp fenugreek 
  • 1/2 tsp white cracked pepper 
  • Few pinches of paprika 
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Score the chicken across the top, deep enough to allow for stuffing to fill the cuts, but not letting the chicken fall apart. 

In a sauté pan, heat up olive oil, add spinach and let it wilt a bit, add garlic, sauté a bit more, add olives, roasted pepper and parsley, then add cream cheese, feta and all the spices except for paprika.

Let everything melt/combine

  
Fill the scored chicken with the stuffing, and place in the oven for 25 min or so… 

Take it out and sprinckle with paprika and a bit of parsley. And… Go for it!! 😉

 Serve with Mediterranean Faux Rice with Mushrooms and Asparagus and salad of green lettuce (Boston or romain) with the  French Dressing 

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Pressure cooker spicy beef stew 

Posted in Beef, Main Courses, Pressure cooker on April 7, 2016 by majcych

We got the Instant Pot a month ago or so. I must admit, its AWESOME! We tried several recipes before I dared to try something on my own. Hubby’s pick for today’s protein was beef… Trying to keep it low carb, I picked up chuck roast, butternut squash and celery root… And here’s how it went down:

  
Ingredients:

  • 2lb chuck roast cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 cups cubed butternut squash 
  • 2 cups cubed celery root (one softball size root)
  • One large onion
  • 1-2 jalapeños cut in quartered slices (depends on how much heat you like – I used two and kept the seeds)
  • One red bell pepper 
  • 3 medium tomatoes cubed
  • 1/4 cup apple juice
  • 2 tbs Coconut oil 
  • 1 tbs garlic powder 
  • 1 tbs Aleppo pepper
  • 1 tbs dry dill
  • 1 tbs herbs de Provence 
  • Salt and pepper 
  • A teaspoon of dry mint
  • Sour cream (optional)

Mix meat with all the the spices except of mint, set the pressure cooker on sauté, add 1 tbs of oil and brown the meat. Don’t over crowd it, do it in batches if needed. Put meat aside and brown the onion with the rest of the oil. Add veggies and apple juice, cover and set to the meat setting. It will cook for about 35 min. Once done, release steam, remove meat and half of veggies, blend the rest of the sauce with the hand blender to thicken the sauce. Add back the meat and rest of the vegetables. Place in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with a pinch of dry mint. And voilà! So quick, super tender and absolutely delicious!!!

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