Life Of Chef Mom

Follow me on my culinary endeavors! I have currently joined the Keto movement and have changed my food lifestyle drastically. Join me in the challenge or just enjoy the recipes! I'm new to Keto. So any tips and feed back will be helpful. Keto lifestyle is High Fat, Moderate Protein and Low Carbs. No grains, rice, sugar, etc allowed. Just real foods! Oh and Bacon!!

[lifeofchefmom]

Keto Chicken Hold-the-Parm

No breadcrumbs with this dish. Super simple since I used a pre-made marinara. I find one at Raley’s that doesn’t have any added sugar. It’s called Cucina Antica. I have posted a picture of the jar on previous posts. It’s good, but I always dress up my sauces to try and make them my own.

4 Thin chicken breasts

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp kerrygold butter

10 crimini mushrooms sliced

1/2 yellow onion diced

3 cloves of garlic chopped

2 bay leaves

2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 tsp dried oregano

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 jar of no added sugar marinara

4 thick slices of mozzarella cheese

Salt and Pepper

Season chicken on both sides. In a deep, medium heat pan, add oil 1 tbsp of oil at a time and in batches cook chicken breasts. When seared on both sides, add to a baking dish. You do not need to cook chicken all the way through. Add remaining oil in pan and cook onions and garlic. Try and scrape up the brown bits left on the pan. Add mushrooms and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Once cooked halfway through, add marinara. Then dry seasonings and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for about 15 min. When simmering, preheat your oven to 375. Taste your sauce before spooning over chicken. If it’s to your liking, spoon over chicken. Cover baking dish and bake for about 15 min. Remove cover or foil, add cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Then place into broiler to get golden brown. Enjoy!!! 

[lifeofchefmom]

Venison Taco Turkey Boats

1 lb ground venison or lean ground meat

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp kerrygold butter (optional. I use it to get the fat level up for my keto diet)

4 zucchinis halved and middle spooned out to make a boat

1/2 red bell pepper small dice

1/2 yellow onion diced

1 clove garlic chopped

2 scallions sliced

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

Salt and Pepper

1 cup grated jack cheese or cheese of your choice

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up! In a medium hot pan, add oil and venison. Break up and cook. Add seasonings and salt and pepper. Once half way cooked, add yellow onion and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add bell peppers. Cook for a few minutes and add tomato sauce, scallions and butter. Taste and season. Spoon mixture into boats. Cook for about 15-20 minutes. Top with cheese and broil to melt! 

We served ours with a favorite salsa and avocado. Enjoy!

[lifeofchefmom]

Keto Spicy Chicken Salad Wraps

This recipe almost reminded me of a spicy tuna roll! My Husband enjoyed it on a hoagie himself and loved it!!! I’ll be tweaking this one in the future. I used left over chicken that I roasted. So it was a blend of white and dark meat. I also used leftover onions from my creamed onion recipe for sweetness.

3 cups shredded chicken

1/2 English cucumber small dice

1 scallion thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped onions leftover from my creamed onion. You can also caramelize 1/2 an onion. I used it for it’s sweetness. 

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

3/4-1 cup of mayonnaise based on how dry your chicken is.

1/4 cup of sriracha. More or less based on how spicy you’d like it!! 

Salt and Pepper to taste

Lettuce for the wrap or lettuce cups

Mix all the ingredients. Taste and Season! Serve it up and Enjoy!!!   

[lifeofchefmom]

Keto Chicken Marsala

A Family Favorite!!!

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

1 Cup super fine Almond Flour

10 criminis sliced

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 shallot small dice

1 cup Marsala

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil

Add salt and pepper to your almond flour. Coat your thighs in the almond flour. I used a sheet tray so I can have them all out. Dust off any remaining flour so its not too chunky. Your using the almond flour like regular flour. Just getting a light crispiness to it and will help thicken your sauce.

In a deep pan or skillet, heat about 1/4 cup of oil over medium heat. Cook your thighs in small batches, on both sides. Remove onto a plate while your next cooks. Add more oil if needed. Once all the chicken has been browned up, remove oil and any bits of almond flour that might burn. But keep the good brown bits in the pan. We will scrape it up for flavor. Add butter to the same pan and add your mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes and add your shallots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook till al dente.  Deglaze the pan with Marsala and let the alcohol cook off, about 3 minutes. Also, scrape up all the pan bits! Then add the cream. Bring the chicken thighs and their drippings back into the pan, cover, lower to a simmer and cook until thighs are cooked through. 

Enjoy!!!

[lifeofchefmom]

Roasted Creamed Onions

These will make the perfect side for any dish! I served them up with a Roasted Chicken I made for the week.

3 medium yellow onions peeled and sliced 1/4 in thick. Keep intact.

1 cup heavy cream

juice from a lemon (about 1/2 a lemon)

Olive Oil

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to Taste

2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 375. In a large sheet tray, lay parchment paper on the bottom. Drizzle oil on the parchment paper. Then lay out onions. You may need two trays. Season with salt and pepper and more oil on top. Cook in the oven for about 15-20 min. You want them to caramelize.  While onions are cooking, add cream and lemon juice to a sauce pan and reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper. When onions are caramelized, pour sauce over the onions. Cover with foil and bake for another 10 min. Remove from oven, cover with Parmesan cheese and place in your broiler. Remove when the cheese gets golden brown!!!

Enjoy!

[lifeofchefmom]

Roasted Salmon with Asparagus and Lemon Buerre Blanc

About 1.5 # Salmon or 3 6oz salmon filet

1 package of asparagus

Oil

Salt and Pepper

I tossed my asparagus with oil, salt and pepper and I grilled in on my griddle. I grilled over medium heat and sort of left the asparagus alone and let it do it’s own thing. Only took about 7 mins to cook.

For the Salmon, I seasoned both sides with salt and pepper. I preheated my oven to 425. Over medium high heat, I added about 2 tbsp of oil. I placed my salmon skin side down. Once the skin got crispy and golden, I flipped my fish over and put them in the oven for about 5 min. I like my salmon with a little pink in the middle. 

Lemon Buerre Blanc

I took the recipe from my Julia Child Cookbook. I’ll add a link that I found on the internet as well.  I haven’t made a buerre blanc in a long time. You have to follow it to a T. Since I was rusty I broke my sauce. To break your sauce is to let your butter separate instead of emulsifying. It’s a tragedy! BUT I was able to save it!!! Sooo.... if you accidentally do the same all you need to do is remove the buerre blanc from your sauce pan. Add 2 tbsp of heavy cream. Heat over medium and reduce to low. Slowly, and I mean SLOWLY add your broken sauce. Do not add more until it has been emulsified into the cream. The cream can’t hold too much so you’ll be left with less sauce, BUT you’ll have the correct sauce non the less. You might have to add some more lemon to bring out the flavors more. But enjoy it! I love a good Buerre Blanc sauce. I think it’s amazing on fish and chicken! And VERY Keto!!! We are talking sauces with sticks of butter!!! 

Here’s Julia’s recipe https://food52.com/recipes/39746-julia-child-s-beurre-blanc-white-butter-sauce 

[lifeofchefmom]

Roasted Chicken Thigh with Creamy Lemon Mushroom Sauce

4 Chicken thighs, skin on

8 crimini mushrooms thinly sliced

1 cup heavy cream

1 lemon juiced

1/2 shallot small dice

3 cloves of garlic minced

Fresh herbs  chopped- I used a sprig of thyme and oregano, and some parsley

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper 

I seasoned my chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat about 2 tbsp in a deep pan over medium high heat. Cook the thighs skin side down until they are crispy and golden brown. Flip and sear the bottoms till they are the same color. Remove the chicken from the pan. Drain most of the fat from your pan but leave about 2 tbsp. Add shallot and garlic. Cook for about a minute and then add your mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Once your mushrooms begin to show some color, deglaze the pan with lemon juice.  Add herbs and cream. Return chicken and drippings to the pan. Cover and cook on a low heat/simmer until chicken is cooked through. About 15 mins. Enjoy!!! 

[lifeofchefmom]

Keto Mushroom Pizza 4 portobellos 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese 1 cup Chopped spinach 5 cherry tomatoes sliced Pepperoni Sugar free tomato sauce Olive oil Salt and pepper Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Clean your Mushrooms. Stem removed and gills cleaned out. Then toss with oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 7 mins. Set aside and drain any liquid. Then fill Mushrooms. Cheese, spinach, tomato and then Mushrooms. Bake until cheese has melted. I heated my tomato sauce in a pan before serving. Poured about 1/2 cup on my plate. Enjoy!

[lifeofchefmom]

Steamed Artichoke with Black Garlic Aioli Homemade Mayo This is a recipe I have from a restaurant I use to work for. All I changed was the oil choice to make it Keto friendly. From this mayo I will make the Aioli 2 egg yolks (set out for 1 hour) 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard 3oz rice vinegar 4 cups of olive oil You'll need a cuisinart. Add all ingredients except for oil. If you have the stream attachment, pour your oil through that. If not, add oil in a small steady stream. You have 4 cups so make sure you have a strong arm or a friend to help. Your stream should be thinner than a pencil. Once all the oil is in, you should have a nice Creamy mayo!! Refrigerate once done. Black Garlic Aioli Black Garlic is a fermented garlic. I fell in love with it when my Chef de Cuisine Steve introduced us! I was in heaven when I found it at Trader Joe's last year!! They are in small black bags by the seasonings. It's like a dark version of roasted Garlic. 1 cup mayo 3 cloves of black Garlic 1 clove of garlic Juice of half a lemon Salt for seasoning In the cuisinart blend the garlics and lemon. Then add the mayo. Blend until the black Garlic breaks up and the mayo turns to a medium grey color. You don't want big chunks of black Garlic. Taste and add salt for seasoning. If you like your Aioli with more acid, add some more lemon juice! Steamed Artichokes 3 Artichokes halved Half a lemon Water Salt Steamer insert for your pot Large pot Get the water boiling in your pot. Have the steamer in it too. They look like fanned colander. I clean my Artichokes on the inside as well as the outside. I remove two to three row of leaves on the outside and I remove the hair of the artichoke on the inside. Once a half is cleaned, I rub my lemon on it to prevent them to oxidize. Once all are cleaned, salt your water and add the chokes, inside faced down. Cover and turn water to a simmer. Depending on how big they are it could take anywhere from 15-30 min. Enjoy!!!

[lifeofchefmom]

Wrapped Flank Steak with Cauliflower Purée Wrapped Flank Steak 1 Flank Steak 2 cups Chopped Kale 2 cloves of garlic chopped 1/4 cup blue cheese Butter Salt and Pepper Tooth picks First sauté kale with a tablespoon of butter with the garlic. Cook till about al dente. Set aside to cool. Use plastic wrap on both sides of your steak and pound out your steak. I try to just make it thinner to wrap the Steak up. Once pounded, season both sides with salt and pepper. Add blue cheese across the Steak. Then the kale. Tightly wrap up the Steak. Pierce with toothpicks about 1-1 1/2 inches apart. Slice the steak in between the toothpicks to make medallions. Push the toothpicks all the way through. Grill steaks on both sides for 8-10 minutes. Rest until serving. Cauliflower Purée 1/2 head of Cauliflower roughly chopped Heavy cream Water Butter Salt In a sauce pot, add the cauliflower. Cover with equal amounts of heavy cream and water. Simmer until cooked through. Strain Cauliflower In a blender or cuisine art, add Cauliflower and butter. Blend. Took get a smooth and thick consistency, add cream. Season with salt. I know it's vague, but every head of Cauliflower is different.

[lifeofchefmom]

Baked Green Chili Chicken 4 chicken breasts 1 4oz can of green chilis 8oz of soft cream cheese (room temperature) 1 cup jack cheese 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl mix cream cheese and seasoning. Then add chilis and mix. Add chicken breasts to baking dish. Pour cream cheese mixture over chicken. Then top with jack cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 min or until internal temperature of 165 degrees. I use a meat thermometer. I served mine with cauliflower rice. Enjoy!

[lifeofchefmom]

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms 5 links of mild Italian sausage 6 small baby portobello mushrooms 6 - 1oz cubes of mozzarella cheese Half a Jar of Sugar Free Tomato Sauce Preheat oven to 375. Clean out the gills of your portobellos. Add half your sausage in the bottom of the mushrooms and make a little dent in the middle. Add your cubes of cheese. Then top with the second half of your sausage and crimp the meat to seal in the cheese. Put the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Add mushrooms. Cover and bake until sausage is cooked through. About 20 min. Serve with sauce!!! Sautéed Kale 2 tbsp butter 2 cloves of garlic 3 cups of chopped kale Heat butter in a skillet. Add garlic, once fragrant add kale. Season with salt and pepper. Cool till al dente. Serves about 3

[lifeofchefmom]

Keto Egg Roll 1 package of ground pork 1 package of coleslaw cabbage (no sauce) 5 sprigs of green onion (sliced on the bias. Green and white parts) 3 cloves of garlic chopped 1/2 yellow onion diced Ginger-I used 1 tbsp from the tube. You can find it in the herb section 1 tbsp Garlic Chili Oil 1 tbsp Sesame Oil 3 tbsp coconut aminos 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 2 tbsp butter Salt and Pepper to taste In a pan, heat sesame Oil over medium heat and cook yellow onion and garlic. Once fragrant, add pork and cook. Once thoroughly cooked, add butter, ginger, garlic chili Oil and green onions. Mix and then add coleslaw, coconut aminos and rice wine vinegar. Cook until cabbage is al dente. Season with salt and pepper! This was a great dish. I made rice for my Husband and daughter. It wasn't spicy so we added more for our own plates. Enjoy!

[lifeofchefmom]

Grilled Skirt Steak with Mushroom Cream Sauce and Caramelized Onions Skirt Steak I marinaded my steak for about an hour 3 cloves of garlic chopped 1 tbsp salt 1 tbsp pepper 2 tbsp olive oil I grilled my steak to medium rare. I did it on a grilled pan. Didn't take long. About 7-8 min on both sides. Skirt steak is nice, fatty and thin. I let it rest while I cooked my sauce. Caramelized Onions 1 yellow onion 3 tbsp butter On medium heat, melt your butter and add onions. Stir occasionally, cook your onions down. Mine caramelized in about 30 min. I removed them from the pan and reused it for my Sauce. Mushroom Sauce 6 crimini mushrooms slices 3 cloves garlic chopped Spring of thyme chopped 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 lemon zested and juiced Drippings from rested steak Salt and Pepper to taste 2 tbsp butter Over medium heat, melt butter in a pan. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 min. Stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook until mushrooms are almost cooked through. Add thyme and lemon and deglaze your pan. Scrapping up bits. Add cream and drippings. Summer and then season to taste.

[lifeofchefmom]

Hi Followers! Soooo sorry I've been MIA! If you know me, I've been busy planning an elopement/30th Birthday vacation in Las Vegas! But I'm back! And so is the Paleo Diet! This is a yummy casserole style meal. I precooked my chicken breast and quinoa ahead of time. I like to have some in the fridge for go-to meals. So that will make this meal cook quicker! I'm sure you could cook the chicken in with the casserole, just make sure everything reaches 165degrees!! Chicken, Asparagus, Quinoa Casserole 1 cooked chicken breast medium dice 1 bunch asparagus sliced 1inch long 1 cup cooked quinoa 1 roasted red bell pepper sliced (you can buy them in the can) 2/3 cup pumpkin purée 1/2 can lite coconut milk 1 tbsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 4 slices of bacon cut in half length wise Preheat your oven to 425. Mix your chicken, asparagus, quinoa, and roasted pepper in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Then in a small bowl, mix pumpkin purée, coconut milk, garlic powder and onion powder. Then pour over your other ingredients and mix well. Place in a casserole dish, then top with bacon and bake! I baked mine till the bacon was crispy!! Enjoy this one and play around with whatever veggies you have on hand!!!

[lifeofchefmom]

I made steps ahead of time to make this meal come together easier. And used a few tricks up my sleeves… The salmon is the star and made it that way. I used simply salt and pepper on it. I seared it skin side down in enough oil to thinly coat the pan in a medium high heat. Cooked until the skin was crispy, then flipped it and put it in a 425 degree oven for about 5-7 min. I like my fish pink in the center. The quinoa I made a day ahead. I used Bob’s Mill and followed their directions.

Sautéd Kale

1-2 bunches roughly chopped, depending on size 1/4 preserved lemon rind finely chopped (or finish kale with lemon juice) 1/2 shallot finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped 1 tbsp coconut oil Salt and Pepper

Heat pan over medium heat. Melt oil and add shallots, garlic and preserved lemon. Sauté for about a minute and add kale. Season and cook to your desired tenderness. I cooked mine for about 7 mins.

Roasted Red Pepper-Coconut Sauce

3 roasted peppers (I found mine in a jar near the olive section) 1/2 can lite coconut milk 1/2 preserved lemon rind (or lemon Juice) 1/4 cup honey 1 tbsp arrowroot flour Salt and Pepper

I added all my ingredients into a sauce pan and blended with my immersion blender. Or you can use your blender. Than heated to active the arrowroot. Season to taste. That simple! I was in the process of reducing my sauce but some bitterness started to emerge. So I stopped and added honey and the arrowroot flour to get the consistency that I wanted. This is a fabulous sauce to make your meals a touch more fancy! Enjoy!!

[lifeofchefmom]

This was a great way to ramp up boring old chicken breast. I made a simple side of asparagus and sweet potato biscuits. I'm not wild about how the biscuits came out. I think next time I'd rather pan fry them. And they didn't store very well over night. Yes, that's right, not every meal comes out perfect! And you just go with the flow and learn from your mistakes. Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast 2 chicken breasts, tender removed 12 slices of prosciutto Salt and Pepper Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay your prosciutto out on your cutting board. 6 slices for each breast. I just layered them so they will be over lapping. I layered them so that when I cut the the breast, they line up the cuts. Hope that makes sense. Then lay your breast on one end and roll it up. Fairly tight. And bake for about 20-30 mins until done. Let it rest before you slice. Sweet Potato-Jalapeño Biscuits 2 medium sweet potatoes cooked and mashed 3 tbsp coconut oil or any fat 2 eggs whisked 1 jalapeño chopped, seeded or unseeded your choice 1/4 cup almond flour, may need a bit more depending on how wet your dough is 2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder Salt and Pepper Cook your potatoes any way you like. I prefer to bake mine. I think it brings out the natural sugars. Let it cool before mixing. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the potatoes, eggs, jalapeño and oil. Then add all the dry ingredients. If really wet, add more flour. I baked mine on parchment on a sheet try. Just spoon onto the paper and bake for about 20-30 mins. Enjoy! I'll update you when I try and pan fry them.