Tag: bacon

Blue Balsamic Chips

 

Blue Balsamic Chips

Who out there plans their party menus weeks ahead of time? I have started my list of Super Bowl recipe contenders. Appetizers are the ultimate crowd-pleasers and what we will be serving this year. We seldom order them when we go out. That is unless we decide to split a few for our meal. Which is one of my favorite things to do!

I have been working on my recipe plans. I have a massive stack of cookbooks beside the couch with sticky notes everywhere. I know it’s old school, but I love a cookbook. A book that I can hold, rather than my iPad or computer, has so much appeal to me! If you ask Greg, my obsession with cookbooks is probably a little over the top. Oh well, it’s a cheap habit, and it makes me happy.

Here’s an oldie but a goodie that I will be making this year. Homemade crispy, crunchy potato chips topped with alfredo/blue cheese sauce, drizzled with balsamic glaze, and sprinkled with bacon and green onions. If that does not make your mouth water, I’m not sure what would!

Blue Balsamic Chips
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Blue Balsamic Chips

Course Appetizer
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 4 medium potatoes scrubbed
  • peanut oil for frying
  • salt to taste
  • 1 cup prepared Alfredo sauce
  • 6 ounces blue cheese crumbles plus more to spinkle over the top
  • 1/4 cup Ranch dressing
  • 4 strips bacon fried crisp, drained and chopped
  • 3 green onions green part only, chopped
  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

  • Slice scrubbed potatoes thin. Soak in ice water for about 10 minutes. Drain and dry well.
  • Heat oil to 350℉ - 375℉.
  • While oil is heating, pour 1 cup alfredo sauce in a saucepan. Heat to boiling then reduce to a simmer. Add 6-ounces blue cheese crumbles and 1/4 cup Ranch dressing. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and allow to rest.
  • In another saucepan combine vinegar and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer annd stir occasionally. Make a slurry by adding 1 teaspoon water to the cornstarch. Add to the balsamic mixture and stir. (You need this to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If 1 tablespoon cornstarch isn't enough, make up a little more.). Set aside.
  • Fry potatoes to desired crispness. Drain well on paper-towel lined pans. Salt to taste.
  • Place chips on a serving plate. Drizzle chips with blue cheese sauce, then drizzle with some balsamic glaze. Sprinkle with bacon, blue cheese crumbles and green onions. Serve while chips are still warm.

Cheesy Fish Chowder (Keto, Low-Carb, Gluten Free)

cheesy-fish-chowder-2

 

Living in the country, we often have to take a short road trip when we decide to go out for dinner. There is a restaurant in Augusta, Georgia that Greg and I have enjoyed for years. It isn’t fancy, but the food is always delicious. They serve a catfish chowder that we both love. I have tried to figure out the recipe before, but just never quite got it right.

I recently decided to work on the chowder again, but a low-carb version of it. After many attempts at this Cheesy Fish Chowder over the years, I can finally say that I have one that is quite close to the restaurant version we love! It is wonderfully delicious and incredibly easy!

Because I could not use flour to thicken the chowder, I used cream cheese, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and a little Xanthan Gum. My final product did not end up as thick as theirs, or most chowders, for that fact.  If you add Xanthan Gum start off with a small amount, 1/2 teaspoon to begin with, then gradually add more to your preference.

cheesy-fish-chowder-2
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Cheesy Fish Chowder

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 12 oz. Cod, or other flaky white fish
  • Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
  • 4 slices thick-cut bacon
  • 1/4 c. small diced onion
  • 2 1/2 c. chicken bone broth
  • 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning or more to taste
  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese shredded
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 med. tomato chopped
  • 4 tbsp. sliced green onion
  • 8 tbsp. shredded Cheddar cheese
  • Xanthan Gum if desired

Instructions

  • Spray fish with nonstick cooking spray.  Sprinkle with Creole seasoning and bake in oven until cooked through.  
  • Chop tomato, set aside.
  • Slice green onion, set aside.
  • In the meantime, in a Dutch oven cook the bacon until crispy.  Remove from pan to cool.  Crumble and set aside.
  • Add onions to bacon grease and cook over low heat until softened.
  • Add chicken broth, heavy cream, thyme, pepper and Creole seasoning.  Cook over medium heat until warm through.  
  • Pinch off pieces of cream cheese and add to the broth mixture.  Whisking until melted.  
  • Add Monterey Jack cheese and whisk until melted.
  • If you prefer to thicken the chowder a bit more add a small amount of xanthan gum, whisking well.  
      
  • In a serving bowl, break up a serving of cooked fish.  Ladle chowder over the top of fish.  Top with shredded Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, crumbled bacon, green onions.  Serve.  

Notes

Nutrition Facts:
Net Carbs: 4 g.; Fat 30g; Protein 24 g; Calories 390

 

 

 

Keto Vegetable Beef Soup

keto-vegetable-beef-soup

Before I started keto, it was nothing to bake a cake with 2 cups of butter and a pile of sugar and wheat flour. Or to load a baked sweet potato with butter and sugar. Many people think of keto as a bad thing. I guess they think you are sitting around eating sticks of butter, and bacon and sausage.

I read a lot of material before starting this diet. At first I did not think I could do it. When you hear that it is high fat and low carb and you were raised during the time that low fat was always preached you have to retrain your way to thinking entirely. It wasn’t until I had kept up with my macros for weeks that I figured out that I wasn’t adding a bunch of fat to my diet. What I was doing was controlling the carbs and protein in my diet. Pre-keto I did not keep up with the nutritional counts of my daily intake. I can honestly say that my days consisted of a pile of carbs, many calories and tons of fat though. After you have been eating very low sugar and carbs for months, it does not take a journal to figure out that a muffin, bowl or cereal, or toast with jelly for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and a taco salad for dinner is off the charts, even with no snacks. Throw in a sweet tea here or there, and you are on a carb and sugar overload!

Today I have a fabulous Vegetable Beef Soup for you. This soup is amazingly good, and it all started when I was cleaning out the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator. I used turnip roots in place of the potatoes in most vegetable soups and zucchini instead of beans or peas. The bacon, which I almost did not add, was the key ingredient. The smoky taste that it added was a hit with my family!

 

keto-vegetable-beef-soup
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Course Soup
Keyword ground beef, beef broth, bacon, carrots, zucchini, turnip roots
Servings 12
Calories 282kcal
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 4 slices bacon chopped and browned
  • 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1/4 cup diced carrots
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 29 ounces Green Pepper and Onion Diced Tomatoes
  • 2 medium zucchini seeds removed and diced
  • 1/2 cup diced turnip root
  • 32 ounces Beef Bone Broth
  • 2 tablespoons double concentrated tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock concentrate

Instructions

  • Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp.  Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon.
  • Add onion and carrot to the bacon grease and cook until the vegetables start to soften,  
  • Add the ground beef to the skillet with the vegetables and cook until the beef is no longer pink.  
  • Pour the beef mixture from the skillet into a slow-cooker.  
  • Add the diced tomatoes, zucchini, turnip root, beef broth, tomato paste and chicken stock concentrate and stir to combine. 
  • Cover the slow-cooker and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 6 hours.  

Notes

12 Servings: 6 g. Net Carbs; 17 g. Fat; 25 g. Protein; 282 Calories

Keto Chili

 

I have been busy “ketoizing” some of my favorite recipes.  Mainly cold weather foods that my family enjoys.  There are a few that I am getting a little frustrated with, Beef Stew being one of them.  I have discovered an excellent potato substitute, but I just have not found the taste I’m looking for.

Chili is also one of our favorite meals.  There is nothing quite like curling up on the couch with a fire in the fireplace,  a hot bowl of chili, and your favorite movie.
 
I recently read about black soybeans and could not wait to try them!  It took me a while to find them, but I finally found them near my Mom’s house in Cumming, at Whole Foods. (Since making this I have found the black soybeans at Ingles in a neighboring town.)
 

The nutritional facts on a 1/2 cup of black soybeans is 8 grams of carbs and 7 grams of fiber — pretty awesome, making them have only 1 net gram of carbs.

Soybeans are high in protein and fiber, low in saturated fat and cholesterol, lactose-free, and a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.
I thought they were terrific and have plans to stock up on a few cans the next time I visit my mom.

3 1/2 tablespoons of chili powder was perfect for my family, but if you are cooking for people that don’t care for the heat and spice, you may want to add less.  I added diced avocado to my bowl, along with sour cream and cheese and it was fantastic!

 

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Keto Chili

Course Main Course
Servings 8
Calories 392kcal
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 3 slices bacon diced
  • 2 lb. ground beef or ground venison
  • 1/2 c. diced celery
  • 1/2 c. diced yellow onion
  • 1 (14.5-oz.) can beef bone broth
  • 1 (10.5-oz.) can Chipotle Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder or to taste
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. Swerve brown sugar
  • 1 (15-oz.) can black soy beans rinsed and drained

Instructions

  • Cook bacon in Dutch oven until crisp, remove from pan and drain on paper towels, set aside.   
  • Add onion and celery to the pan and cook, stirring, until tender.  
  • Add beef and cook, breaking up, until cooked through.
  • Pour mixture into a slow cooker.  
  • Add broth, Rotel, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, Swerve brown sugar, and soy beans, stir to combine. 
  • Cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours.  
  • Serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and reserved bacon.

Notes

Beef:  
3.5 g carbs
20 g fat
43 g protein
392 calories
 
Ven ison:
3.5 g carbs
17 g fat
43 g protein
362 calories

Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scones

Apple=Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scones

Spring is a busy time for many. We are ready to be out of the house after those cold winter days. Yard work always awaits, and those outdoor projects that we have put off all winter need to be tackled.

Greg and I recently spent three days putting metal siding and a metal roof on an outdoor building. I’m sure we could have hired a professional to do it in a third of the time. However, we did not kill each other in the process, and we have a good feeling of accomplishment!

On these busy days, it’s nice to have something on hand for a quick breakfast or even a snack. These scones are a great savory treat that my family loves. Everything is better with bacon and cheese and these great with a cup of coffee on the go.

 

Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scones
 
Author:
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Ingredients
  • 3 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ c. (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1½ c. grated Cheddar cheese
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • ¾ to 1½ c. buttermilk
  • 1 lg. egg
  • 2 tbsp. water
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl on low speed. With the mixer running, gradually add the cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour-butter bits about the size of small peas. Add the grated cheese and mix just until blended. (This can also be done by hand: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Gradually cut in the butter with pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles small peas. Stir in the cheese.)
  2. Add the green onions, bacon, and ¾ cup of the buttermilk to the flour and cheese mixture. Mix by hand just until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is too dry to hold together, us the remaining buttermilk, adding 1 tbsp. at a time, until the dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball. Stir as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a light-textured scone. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured flat surface. Pat the dough into a ball. using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten the dough into a circle about 8inches wide and ½ inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 to 10 equal wedges, depending on the size scone you prefer.
  3. Whisk the egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine. Brush each wedge with the egg wash. Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle. Serve warm.