MEATZA

Photo by Jamie Jo McGraw

This is pretty tasty...and very filling!  Everyone in my household likes pizza.  I can't eat pizza on a low-carb diet.  I have tried a few various ways to eat pizza when someone else buys it...roll up the toppings in a low-carb tortilla with a dollop of sour cream, or just eat the toppings plain.  I'd seen a few recipes for Meatza online, and finally decided to try it.  The base is made out of ground beef, not dough.  It sounds kinda gross, but its actually delicious.  

RECIPE (enough for three portions)

1 lb ground beef

1 tablespoon italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

sugar free or low carb pasta or pizza sauce

chopped up veggies of your choice (I used mushrooms, peppers, and onions)

15 pieces pepperoni

1 cup mozzarella cheese

sprinkle parmesan cheese

sliced tomato and avocado

1)  Preheat oven to 350.

2)  Mix together beef, garlic, and seasoning.  Spread ground beef evenly in 9X13 baking dish.  Bake 20 minutes.  Drain off grease.

3)  Meat will have shrunk quite a bit...this is normal!   Spread sauce evenly over meat.  Cover with most of the mozzarella.  Pile up your toppings!  Top with rest of cheese.  YUMMY!!

4)  Broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

5)  Place sliced tomato and avocado over the top to add a layer of freshness. I cracked some black pepper over mine too.  You will need a fork to eat this, but you get all the pizza flavors without any bread!

Pizza Scramble !

I know this photo isn't that great, but please...trust me and try this.  I was having one of those mornings where I wanted leftover pizza for breakfast.  I had some pepperoni and other pizza type toppings at the house, so I decided to throw something together.  Boy, was it a KEEPER!

RECIPE
4 servings

8 eggs
1 green pepper, chopped roughly
1/2 onion, chopped roughly
4 white mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheese (maybe more if you really like cheese!)
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
1/2 cup chopped ham
Olive oil
S&P
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Garlic powder to taste

1)  Sautee veggies in olive oil over medium heat until soft.  Sprinkle Italian Seasoning and garlic powder over veggies.

2)  Add meat and let cook for a few minutes.  Crack eggs into pan and scramble them up.  When eggs are just about done, add cheese and stir around until melted.  Season with salt and pepper.

3)  Top with fresh chopped tomatoes just before serving.

This is delicious.  Please just try this when you have your cold-pizza craving in the morning after  a late night!

Crispy Cajun chicken with sour cream green beans

photo by Jamie Jo McGraw

Can I say yum?? This chicken had crispy skin and moist, juicy meat.  The next day at work I was heating up my leftovers, and my manager came back to see what I was eating...everyone in the lobby was salivating over the smell!  The beans were kind of thrown together by Jamie, and they were sure tasty too.

RECIPE!

3 servings (and 1 leftover piece for lunch)

6 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs

1/4 cup butter

olive oil

1 can green beans

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Cajun seasoning:

2.5 tsp paprika

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1.5 tsp dried oregano

1.5 tsp dried thyme

1)  Preheat over to 400 degrees.

2)  Melt the butter in microwave.  Add cajun seasoning and mix to combine.  

3)  Arrange chicken on a baking sheet.  Distribute seasoning/butter mix evenly between the chicken thighs.  Make sure to liberally saturate the chicken, on the top, bottom, sides, and even between the skin and meat!  (I think that is the most important step...season under the skin!!!)

4)  Cook chicken for 45-50 minutes or until skin is crispy but not burnt.

5)  While the chicken is cooking, sautee the onions, garlic, and celery in a little bit of olive oil until soft. Add beans, sour cream, and S&P.  Stir to combine.  You just want to heat the beans thoroughly...they don't need to cook at all.  Rich and yummy and a great side to the chicken.

6)  Serve to your loved ones and expect people to be jealous of your leftovers!!

Stuffed Bacon wrapped Chicken w/ cheesy cauliflower casserole

This was so hearty and delectable.  I fed a bunch of country boys with this meal...they would have had no idea it was low-carb or "diet food" except that they all know I'm on a low-carb diet.  YUM!

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 brick cream cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped
garlic powder
pepper

1 head cauliflower
2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 stick butter
chopped fresh parsley
pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400.

1)  Cut cauliflower into florets.  Place in large pot and cover with water.  Boil until tender.

2)  slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 8 pieces of chicken.  Spread cream cheese on piece of chicken.  Sprinkle green onion over cream cheese.

3)  Roll up chicken to conceal cream cheese mixture.  Wrap 2 pieces bacon criss-cross around each piece of chicken.  You may need to secure with toothpick.

4)  Sprinkle with garlic powder and fresh pepper.  Bake in oven for 50 minutes.

5)  Drain cauliflower.  Place in large mixing bowl and lightly mash until no florets remain.  Pour in cream.  Add 1 cup cheese and mix well.

6)  Dump mixture into casserole dish.  Put butter pats on top of casserole.  Sprinkle with fresh pepper.  Top with remaining cheese and bake for 45 minutes.

7)  Take casserole out.  Sprinkle with parsley

 8) Move chicken up to top rack and broil for a few minutes, so bacon gets crunchy.

9)  Serve up, and enjoy!