This would seem to be your normal quiche, although there is no crust! It is actually a KISS recipe (Keep It Simple Stupid) and can easily made by a child with some parental supervision. It is pictured here with a little Pace Medium Salsa on top prior to serving. And yes, you could serve it for breakfast!!
Spinach Casserole
Ingredients
3 cups fresh spinach OR 20 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
3. Spread mixture into an 8×8 baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden and the center is set.
4. Serve immediately.
Notes
The original recipe from Taste of Home called for a full 8 ounces of cream cheese, but we find this to be extremely rich and more like a spinach dip.
This time of year we see many snowbirds returning north and a flurry of activities involving them – thus this post is a little late! At one such dinner, we were served a salad very similar to this one at our friends’ home here. Searching Pinterest, I happened on this one which I think is very comparable to that one with friends. I would add the dressing an hour or so before serving and possibly hold back on some of the feta cheese until plating…NOTE that I always chill my salad plates in the freezer an hour or so before plating.
Watermelon, Tomato and Feta Salad
Ingredients
5 cups watermelon, cubed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
3/4 cup crumbled feta
fresh mint + basil leaves
1 lemon, juiced
3 tbsp honey
1. Cut up watermelon and tomatoes and add to a large bowl
2. Add fresh mint and basil leaves.
3. Top with crumbled feta cheese.
4. In a small bowl whisk lemon juice and honey. Pour over the salad and serve.
For a great summer lunch try this chilled asparagus with some salmon poached in wine. I usually do the salmon with cold green beans (blanched), but not having found any at Costco, I went for using asparagus, which I believe you northerners are seeing IN SEASON. We started the meal with a cold strawberry soup ( which is somewhere on this blog if you do a search). The great thing about this meal is that you can easily prepare it all in the morning and just plate it up when company arrives.
Chilled Asparagus with Citrus Dressing
INGREDIENTS
1-pound asparagus, woody ends cut off
1 teaspoon orange zest
Juice of an orange
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add in the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Immediately remove the asparagus from the boiling water and place it into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
4. Once the asparagus has cooled remove it from the water, blot it dry with a towel, and place it in a large bowl.
5. In a glass measuring cup combine the remaining ingredients (everything from zest down to pepper) and whisk together to form the citrus vinaigrette.
6. Pour the desired amount of vinaigrette over the asparagus and toss to coat.
7. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, then top with a little more salt and pepper.
My spouse’s mother always made him pineapple upside down cake for his birthday when he was young. Waking up early on his birthday, I decided that was what I would make him also. I had previously found a recipe and purchased all of the ingredients. It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe! PS…It would be great for Easter Sunday!!!
Muffin Tin Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
Ingredients…
1/4 C Butter
1 C Packed Dark Brown Sugar
1 Can (20 Oz) Pineapple slices in juice, drained, reserve juice
1 Jar (6 oz) Maraschino cherries without stems – drained
1 Box Betty Crocker Supermoist yellow cake mix
oil and eggs called for on box –
1 – Preheat oven – 350 degrees. In a 13 x 9 x2 pan, melt butter in oven. Here is where I made a change – I sprayed the pan first with PAM – just a precaution I wanted to take. Sprinkle brown sugar over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices on brown sugar. Place cherries in centers and around the slices – press gently into the sugar/butter.
2 – Add enough water to reserved pineapple juice to make 1 cup. Make cake batter as directed on box, substituting pineapple juice mixture for the water. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
3 – Bake about 40 or so minutes – or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run a knife around the edges of pan to loosen cake. I let mine sit in the pan for about 10 minutes then turned it out onto a serving platter leaving the pan on top for an additional 15 to 20 minutes… This lets the brown sugar drizzle over the cake – remove pan. Cool for about 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in the refrigerator.
My apologies for the late posting, but the holiday season has begun and we had two guests for dinner on Sunday. This got me to thinking about holiday parties and how to cope if you are on Keto and want to host a small party (depending on your local restrictions during COVID 19).
This year in lieu of a larger party which usually sees us having 40 plus guests, we have had to make significant changes in how we entertain. In our region, we can have 6 people together and for the next four December weekends, we will be entertaining four other people beside ourselves each Saturday.
The easiest way to handle this is to avoid cooking!
Charcuterie is a way of entertaining in France which involves presenting a variety of cold meats and cheeses, along with some fresh fruits and nuts and a selection of breads and crackers. Keeping in mind KETO, a charcuterie can easily be assembled on a lovely wooden cutting board or two or just spread out on a layer of butcher block paper on a convenient hard surface, along with paper plates, napkins, etc. Make it finger foods by cutting up your items in bite sized portions in advance. BYOB means you don’t have to supply alcoholic drinks!
The trick is to choose KETO items ONLY , especially with the breads and crackers!!!
FYI… no two are ever alike! It all depends on what items you wish to choose. Vary the amounts depending on the number of guests you are contemplating. Whatever you choose be sure to carefully check the contents label for the total percentages of carbs, protein and fats !!!
A charcuterie can easily be modified for those who are not on a Keto program, by including non-KETO items.
The following is a suggested Keto board I came across on Pinterest. There are many more to view on that site.
INGREDIENTS for 5 servings…
6 ounces sliced prosciutto
6 ounces genoa salami
5 ounces spicy capocollo
4 ounces herbed chevre
6-ounce sliced Manchego cheese
5 ounces sliced peppercorn white cheddar
4 ounces garlic white cheddar
¼ cup Sugar-Free Dried Cranberries
1/2 cup mixed nuts
½ cup fresh blackberries
10 strawberries hulled and halved
5 pepperoncini
½ cup pickled artichoke hearts
10 garlic stuffed green olives
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
¼ roasted red peppers
½ cup Low Carb Pickled Red Onion
20 pickled asparagus spears
¼ cup stone ground mustard
1 sleeve low carb crackers
INSTRUCTIONS
Select a large platter from the list of options in this post and carefully arrange all of the ingredients on top.
Looking for a great Easter side dish? Buy that half head of cabbage and start frying. This is an excellent side and you can substitute turkey bacon if you prefer. It reheats beautifully.
Fried Cabbage with Bacon, Onions and Garlic
Serves 4
6 rashers of streaky bacon
1 large brown onion, peeled and diced
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 medium head of white cabbage, trimmed, cored and sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
The following to taste:
salt, black pepper, onion and garlic powder, paprika
a knob of butter (optional)
dill weed (to taste)
Heat a skillet and then cook the bacon rashers over medium heat until just crisp. remove and set aside on paper kitchen towelling to drain. Crumble and keep warm.
Add the onion to the bacon drippings. (Over here our bacon is very lean so there wasn’t many. If you find that is the case, add a small splash of olive or rapeseed oil.)
Cook, stirring to soften. when it begins to caramelize somewhat add the garlic. Cook and stir until fragrant. Add the diced carrot.
Add the cabbage. Cook, tossing and stirring, until the cabbage begins to soften. Season to taste with the seasonings.
Add 60ml (1/4 cup) of water and cover. Cook and steam over low heat until the cabbage has softened. Stir in the bacon crumbles. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. If desired stir in a knob of butter. Serve hot.
Finally got together with our two new friends from Vermont and since I had a lovely pork loin roast in the freezer, some very fresh cauliflower and four sweet potatoes, it was a no-brainer! Bonus – after thawing the roast I didn’t have to marinade it! Start it off with a crisp Caesar salad…actually this meal would be great for Easter...
Honey Dijon Pork Loin Roast
Servings 8 serves
Instructions
3- pound pork loin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons low-sodium gluten free soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat oven to 375˚F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside.
Pat dry pork loin with paper towels.
In a small mixing bowl combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Lightly spray pork loin with cooking spray. This will make it easier for the spice mix to stick.
Take the spice mix and rub it all over the pork loin.
Heat olive oil over medium heat and sear the pork loin until browned on all sides; about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
Transfer pork loin to previously prepared baking sheet, fat-layer side up; set aside.
In a bowl, combine garlic, honey, soy sauce, mustard and oil; whisk until well combined. If too thick, add a bit more oil or soy sauce.
Brush remaining honey mixture over the pork loin.
Roast for 45 minutes or until internal temperature of the pork loin reaches 145˚F
Buen provecho...2022 