Mexican Chicken And Sweet Potato Casserole

I was looking for something different to do with sweet potatoes and I saw this recipe, I tweaked it a bit and made this for dinner. This turned out very tasty and you can also wrap it up in a corn tortilla.

Ingredients
1 cup cooked chicken breast shredded (from 1 breast)
1 1/2 cup medium chunky salsa
2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
A little Onion powder, garlic powder and pepper
olive oil spray
1 1/2 large sweet potatoes peeled
1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
toppings: chopped cilantro scallion, guacamole, sour cream, cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F
In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, salsa and chopped cilantro.
Set aside.
Chop or cube sweet potatoes. Spray an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) baking dish with a little
olive oil spray.
Layer sweet potato to cover the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of
chicken (half of the mixture), a layer of sweet potatoes, another layer of
chicken and a final layer of sweet potato. Top with cheese and sprinkle
with sweet paprika.

Bake for 30 minutes. At this point, remove from the oven and drain any excess
liquid don't drain if it's still thick with salsa Bake for another 30
minutes or until cheese is golden brown and sweet potatoes at the top are
crispy. Let rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.
Serve and top with additional cilantro, scallion and sour cream or guacamole!

Recipe Notes
Leave out cheese to make this dish paleo-friendly and make sure the salsa
you use is sugar free.

Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving (1/6th)
Calories 95 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g2%
Cholesterol 21mg7%
Sodium 398mg17%
Potassium 298mg9%
Total Carbohydrates 9g3%
Dietary Fiber 1g4%
Sugars 3g
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A97.8%
Vitamin C1.9%
Calcium 6.5%
Iron 3.6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keto Ground Beef and Broccoli Bowl

Keto Beef and Broccoli is super easy, fast and keto friendly, good for you
stores well too. I added Mushrooms today you can use if you like too
Yield: 3 servings keto beef and broccoli

Ingredients
1½ Tbsp grass-fed butter, coconut oil or ghee
2 tsp garlic minced
1 tsp ginger minced
1 small onion minced
1 stalk celery diced small
Handful of sliced Mushrooms(Optional)
1 lb organic ground beef
4 cups broccoli florets
3 cups cauliflower rice

Sauce:
2 Tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
red pepper flakes, to taste (~¼ tsp, if desired)

Optional Toppings:
½ avocado, sliced
sesame seeds
2 green onions, finely chopped

Instructions
To a pan over medium-high heat, add butter, ghee, or coconut oil and allow
to melt. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant, add onions and celery cook till just tender and translucent.

Now add broccoli florets and cook till bright green. Remove this mixture from pan and set aside in a bowl.
Add beef to hot pan and cook until no longer pink then add the onion and garlic mixture from bowl back into pan. Lower the heat and add your sauce ingredients. Toss to coat and season to
taste.

Once beef mixture is stirred, add cauliflower rice cook just till it's hot again and serve
Enjoy warm, topped with avocado slices, sesame seeds, and green onions—or
your favorite toppings!
If meal prepping for the week, double this recipe!
Store in the fridge, or freeze if desired!

*Nutrition provided for keto beef and broccoli bowl with cauliflower rice,
excluding optional toppings.

**Per keto beef and broccoli bowl with cauliflower rice: 8g net carbs.

Nutrition
Serving Size: 1 meal (~6 oz)Calories: 502 Sugar: 8Fat: 35 Carbohydrates:
1 3Fiber: 5 Protein: 32

Loaded Potato Soup

This potato soup is comfort food done right, with bacon, cheese, onions and so creamy
goodness Potato soup is a staple on cold days or when comfort food is needed
this one is top of the list of OH OH GOOD
Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

what you need:
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cooked
Chives, shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits, optional

how to make it:
In a 3-qt. Dutch oven or kettle, saute celery, carrot and onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add bouillon, parsley, salt, seasoned salt and cayenne. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cube half of the potatoes and mash the other half; add all to the soup. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Garnish individual servings with chives, cheese and bacon bits if desired.

Garlic Butter Chicken with Lemon Asparagus

This is a fresh vibrant dish, light and lemony cooked in a butter sauce. If the asparagus is thin
you don't have to blanch it.

4 SERVINGS

What you need:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 bunch of asparagus, rinsed and trimmed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon hot sauce, optional (we used Sriracha)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (or white wine)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Crushed red chili pepper flakes, optional
Slices of lemon, for garnish

For the chicken seasoning:
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper or white pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder

How to make it:
Slice chicken breasts how you like and season with salt,
pepper, and onion powder. Let sit in a shallow plate while you prepare the
asparagus.

Wash and trim the ends of the asparagus, then blanch them in boiling water
for 2 minutes then soak in ice water to stop the cooking asparagus. This way
they will cook asparagus faster and evenly in the skillet. You can skip this
step if you have very thin asparagus. Drain and set aside.
Heat half butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low
heat. Gently stir-fry the chicken on all sides until golden brown.

Lower the heat, add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and Italian seasoning and stir
and cook with chicken until fragrant. Remove the chicken from the
skillet and set aside to a plate. You might have to work in batches to avoid
crowding the pan and have steamed chicken instead of browned.
In the same skillet over medium-high, add minced garlic then deglaze with
chicken broth (or wine). Bring to a simmer and allow to reduce to half the
volume. Add remaining butter, lemon juice, hot sauce, parsley. Give a quick
stir to combine.

Add the asparagus and toss for 2 minutes to cook it up. Add the
sauteed chicken back to the pan and stir for another minute to reheat.
Garnish the chicken and asparagus with more parsley, crushed chili pepper,
and lemon slices and serve your garlic butter chicken and asparagus
immediately. Enjoy!

Notes:
If your asparagus is thin, you might want to skip
blanching.
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Easy Fried Eggplant

We like our vegetables and eggplant is one that we enjoy, you need to try my recipe for tasty crisp and non bitter eggplant.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups dry bread crumbs

Directions
Peel and slice eggplant, lay on paper towels sprinkle with salt and let sit at least an hour to let the bitterness that you can taste in eggplant come out, gently press the moisture out with paper towel before preparing this recipe for better taste.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in crumbs, and place in hot oil. Fry 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Just before it is ready to take out I sprinkled shredded mozzarella cheese on top and let melt. Drain on paper towels.

You can also make this and cook in the Air Fryer set the fryer about 350 cook 3 minutes each side depending on your air fryer you can adjust the time.

CrockPot Pork Chops and Sauerkraut and Apples

This is actually a German recipe, made with pork chops, sauerkraut and apples put together quickly in the crock pot and let it cook about 5-6 hours on high and dinner is ready.

Ingredients
 8 servings
 8 center cut pork chops
 2 pounds sauerkraut, drained
 2 cups chicken broth
 1 large red apple, diced
 1 onion, chopped
 1 cup brown sugar
 1 tablespoon caraway seeds

Directions


Mix the sauerkraut, broth, apple, onion, brown sugar, and caraway seeds in a bowl until well combined, divide in half, spread half in a pam sprayed crock pot then place pork chops on top and spread the remaining sauerkraut mixture over the pork chops. Cover and cook on high 5-6 hours, stir a few times gently turn the pork chops once. Pork c.ops will be tender and tasty,

Apple Crumble

Easy dessert to make, and very tasty. This one goes great at any family dinner, parties, lunches and more, great with ice cream, or just a little cream over it.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE FILLING:

4 apples, peeled and diced

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

FOR THE CRUMBLE:

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup quick oats

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1 tsp cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, combine diced apples with lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon and flour. Pour into a 2qt baking dish.

In a separate bowl, combine crumble ingredients. Use hands to combine butter until crumbly (this takes a few minutes). Sprinkle over top of apple mixtures. Press lightly.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45-50 minutes, until bubbly and caramelized. Enjoy warm with a scoop of ice cream!

Italian Lasagna

Real tasty homemade Italian Style Lasagna is delicious and high on the favorites of meals in this house, we don't eat it weekly but we do hold it high on special dinners. I't so cheesy, thick and oh so good. I put different added ingredients in it depending on how we feel or who's coming for dinner,. sometimes mushrooms, spinach, black olives are all some of the things we like to add.

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Serves 8-12 people
Ingredients

1 pound sweet Italian sausage
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
2 cups cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen spinach can be added to layers or in the cheese mix

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

simmer the sauce to thicken and blend flavors

I blend many Italian cheeses, spices and 1 egg together

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

for this recipe I added 1 cup of fresh spinach

and 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

SLOW COOKER SHREDDED MEXICAN CHICKEN

BEST Mexican chicken perfect for tacos, burritos, tostadas, salads, or whatever you can think up.
What's in your cupboards?

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup mild salsa (medium if you like spicy)
3-4 tablespoons brown sugar **
1 4 oz. can mild diced green chilies
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp EACH ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder,
1/2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, dry oregano, pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper (optional for more heat)
Hot sauce to taste and toppings how you like


INSTRUCTIONS
Rub chicken breasts with oil and place in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the hot sauce. Cook on high
for 2-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours or until chicken is tender enough to
shred.
Remove chicken to a cutting board, and let rest 5 minutes before shredding
(there will be liquid remaining). Return shredded chicken and let cook on
low for an additional 20 minutes to absorb some of the liquid/juices.
Drain
Taste and add hot sauce to taste if desired.

RECIPE NOTES
Use 3 tablespoons brown sugar if using mild salsa and not using ground
chipotle chili pepper. Use 4 tablespoons if you are using medium salsa
and/or the ground chipotle chili pepper. The brown sugar balances out the
heat, perfect to be smothered in cheese.

Sometimes I drain my excess liquid, I top a large bowl with a strainer and add
slow cooker contents, to get rid of all of the
excess moisture. I then use drained liquid plus additional needed water to
cook my rice for AMAZING flavored rice.
***If serving over rice, try stirring in some enchilada sauce after you
drain your chicken for some saucy Enchilada Mexican Chicken.

Cold Brew Coffee

What is cold brewed coffee you ask?  It is coffee made with cold water No heat and it's less bitter. It's so easy and yes you Can make it in a Jar or a Pitcher with a lid.

This coffee-making method has a few things going for it. The slow infusion pulls all the great coffee flavor from the beans (and, yes, the caffeine – not to worry!), but leaves behind most of the compounds that can make coffee taste bitter and sour. Cold brewed coffee is incredibly smooth and almost sweet-tasting. Perfect for iced coffee.
You can also adjust the concentration of your cold brew coffee, making it stronger or less strong to suit your taste. Start with one cup of beans steeped in four cups of water. This will make a fairly concentrated coffee on its own, but it’s perfect for pouring over ice or mixing with milk – or both. If that ratio of beans to water isn’t quite to your taste, adjust it up or down until you hit the perfect balance for you.
I also really love that this method for making coffee actually saves me time in the morning. I make a big batch over the weekend, starting it on Saturday or Sunday night and straining it the next morning, and then stash it in the fridge for an easy coffee fix all week long.
Cold brewed coffee can be served iced or piping hot, dealer’s choice. You follow the same method for making the coffee either way, and then either serve it over ice or warm it up in the microwave for a hot cup. When warming it for hot coffee, I often add a splash of water to dilute the coffee before warming. But this, again, is a matter of personal taste.
Ready to give cold brew coffee a try? Below is everything you need to know to make your own batch at home.
Tips for Success
Make sure your beans are coarsely ground: Beans that are ground to a sandy powder, like for drip coffee, can result in an over-infused coffee and make the strained coffee gritty and muddy. Your beans should look like coarse cornmeal, or even slightly rougher.
Use filtered water, if possible: This is just good coffee advice in general, really. Your cup of coffee will have a cleaner, sweeter flavor if you use filtered water to make it.
Steep for at least 12 hours: It’s fine to cut this time a little short, but don’t get too stingy. The coffee needs this full time to fully infuse the water. Straining too early can give you a weaker cup of coffee. Also be careful of over-steeping, which can start to extract some of those bitter flavors we’re hoping to avoid. I’d say not to steep for more than 15 hours or so.
Chill your cold brew with coffee ice cubes: Want a totally undiluted coffee experience? Make coffee ice cubes to chill your iced coffee!

How To Make Cold Brew Coffee

Prep time: 10 minutes Steeping time time: 12 hours to overnight
Yield: About 3 cups
When buying coffee you will want it to be ground on a coarse setting.
You'll need a scant cup (or 4 ounces) for this recipe.
You can also make cold-brew coffee in a French press. There is also a Ninja coffee machine that does cold press coffee Steep the coffee overnight, then press to separate the grounds from the coffee. Transfer the coffee to a bottle or jar for longer storage.

Ingredients
1 cup (4 ounces / 113 grams) whole coffee beans coarse ground prefered
4 cups water
Special Equipment
Coffee coarse ground or spice grinder and grind it yourself
1 1/2 quart (or larger) glass, ceramic, or plastic container
Small strainer
Cheesecloth or cotton flour sack cloth or coffee filter(I like these)
Bottle or jar, for storing your cold-brew