Keto | Not Just Sunday Dinner

Spinach Artichoke Hasselback Chicken

I am constantly looking for something new to shake up our weeknight meals. I mean, the same ol’ same ol’ is good, or I would not prepare it over and over. It can simply become so humdrum to make and eat.

This Spinach Artichoke Hasselback Chicken is something I will definitely make again. If you are a fan of spinach artichoke dip and you like chicken, this recipe is a win-win!

A few weeks ago, I made the spinach mixture to stuff mushrooms. But I had some leftover filling and stuck it in the freezer. So, while looking for an easy and fast dinner recipe, I remembered seeing this Hasselback idea online. It came together in very little time and was scrumptious! I stuffed the slits with a generous amount of the spinach mixture. You can freeze any extra mixture for later use.

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Spinach Artichoke Hasselback Chicken

Course Main Course

Servings 4

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast blotted with paper towel
Kosher salt and black pepper or seasoning of your choice for chicken
Spinach Artichoke Stuffing
8 ounces full-fat cream cheese room temperature
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or more to taste
1 (8.47-ounce can) artichoke hearts drained and chopped
2-3 cups fresh baby spinach chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese plus additional for topping
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375℉. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or foil and set aside.
Pat chicken dry using a paper towel, Cut slits about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch apart, not cutting all the way through the chicken. Season the chicken inside slits, top and bottom. Place on prepared pan and set aside.
In a large bowl mix the cream cheese, garlic powder, chili flakes, chopped artichoke hearts, chopped spinach, 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. When mixed well, start spooning mixture into the slits in chicken breasts. Top with additional shredded mozzarella.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165℉. Remove from oven and let stand about 5 minutes. Serve.

Notes

Net Carbs: 6.4 g

Protein: 19.9 g

Fat: 27.5 g

Calories: 364

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

blue cheese salad dressing

Wedge salads are one of my all-time favorites! And you can’t get much simpler. Each ingredient needs to be on point with only a handful of simple ingredients. However, the most critical component, in my opinion, is the dressing.

I have seen several dressings served with a wedge, but my favorite wedge has thick, creamy, and chunky blue cheese dressing. I realize there are blue cheese haters out there. However, I can’t say I understand because blue cheese is the best!

A classic wedge deserves a top-notch blue cheese dressing. This recipe is spot on with great taste. It’s super easy to whip up and complements any salad, not just a wedge.

I recently started eating keto again, and I do not know why I stopped. I feel much better, think clearer, and have more energy. This recipe came from Keto for Foodies by Nicole Downs, and the cookbook is loaded with great recipes that I can’t wait to try.

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Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

Makes: 1 1/2 cups

Course Keto

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

1/2 cup full fat sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese plus more for garnish, if desired

Instructions

In a medium-size bowl whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, heavy cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Fold in the blue cheese without breaking up the crumbs.
Transfer dressing to a pint glass jar and cover with a lid. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Garnish with additional blue cheese crumbles if desired.
Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

Serving = 3 tablespoons

Calories: 179; Fat: 18g; Net Carbs: 2g; Protein: 2g

Everything but the Bagel Chicken

After months of grabbing a quick meal, I have finally started cooking again. Since the first of the year, I think my only time in the kitchen was to put a to-go box in the fridge. So, getting back into the kitchen has been therapeutic.

I enjoy eating out, but there comes the point that you start missing home cooking—the taste and flavors of home cooking and the time spent in the kitchen. You even get to the point where no take-out sounds appealing.

Cooking is my jam; it makes me happy. So it feels good to be getting back into a routine.

Everything but the Bagel Chicken is a new recipe I recently tried. It was so juicy and flavorful and super quick and easy. I mixed Everything but the Bagel seasoning myself to control the salt content. Paired with a green vegetable, it was a scrumptious and satisfying dinner!

5 from 1 vote

Everything but the Bagel Chicken

Course Main Course

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons white sesame seeds
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon butter
4 ounces cream cheese softened
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Everything but the Bagel seasoning
2-3 tablespoons chopped green onions

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400℉. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In small bowl, mix the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, minced garlic and minced onion. Reserve 1 teaspoon of mixture and set all aside.
In a small bowl mix the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.
Pat chicken dry. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper and place in the prepared dish.
Brush top side of chicken with the mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle each breast with Everything but the Bagel seasoning, reserving the teaspoon for the cream cheese sauce.
Bake in 400℉ for about 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 160℉ in the thickest part of breasts.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, melt butter in microwave. Add cream cheese and return to the microwave for a few seconds. Remove from microwave and whisk. Add the heavy cream, reserved Everything but the Bagel seasoning and green onions.
When chicken is baked, remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Serve with cream cheese sauce.

Pizza Eggs

This week marks the start of school in many places. Unfortunately, this also means the beginning of new jam-packed schedules for a lot of families. It is totally normal to have mornings when you are rushing the kids out the door with a pop tart in hand. Sometimes the best-laid plans can not change that.

If you just can’t seem to muster up the enthusiasm to channel Wonder Woman on school mornings, give these delicious Pizza Eggs a try on the weekend. I found the recipe in one of my old Keto cookbooks, Craveable Keto by Kyndra D. Holley. Yes, I hate to admit failure here, but I have been keto again for 8 days now. The pandemic brought back old habits and they have gotten worse. However, these eggs are perfect anytime and anyone, keto or not. They are so very easy to make too!

Depending on how you like your eggs, you will finish them one of two ways. To cook the eggs well, cook on the stove-top the entire time. If you want your eggs runny, heat your broiler and pop the eggs under the broiler to finish.

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Pizza Eggs

Course Breakfast

Servings 1

Author Amye Melton

Equipment

Small copper frying pan.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons pizza sauce
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
5 pepperoni sliced cut in half
2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
pinch Italian seasoning

Instructions

Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted and the skillet is hot, add the cracked eggs to the pan.
Once the whites just barely start to set and turn white, reduce the heat to low, spoon the pizza sauce over the eggs and sprinkle with the feta cheese.
Continue cooking, and when the whites are almost completely set, add the pepperoni, mozzarella, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning on top.
At this point if you like your eggs cooked well you can place a lid on the pan, but you do not have to, and continue cooking on the stove top. IF you prefer runny eggs, pop the pan under the broiler and watch closely.
The eggs are ready when the whites are completely set, the pepperoni is cooked, and the cheese is melted.

Notes

Macros: Calories: 512 Protein: 30g Fat: 41g. Net Carbs: 3g

Fish Cakes with Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Fish Cakes

When I was a kid, salmon patties were on the weekly menu at home. Even when my kids were small, I cooked them a lot. Now, it seems like they are more of a treat that I cook occasionally than regularly. We seem to love any sort of meat cake. Salmon, Crab, Shrimp, and

now fish!

Greg fished in the Gulf recently and brought home fish for the freezer. I always love having “fresh” fish in the freezer. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to experiment a bit in the kitchen. I pulled out my old faithful food processor, which I believe is older than my children, and went to work.

I first pulsed cut-up snapper and then started adding to my heart’s content. When I had it at the consistency to form into a pattie or cake, I knew that it was complete. Chopped fresh parsley or sliced green onions would be a great addition to these fish cakes.

Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotle peppers with adobo sauce seeds removed and chopped
1 lime juiced
pinch salt

Instructions

Which all ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve.

Fish Cakes

Servings 4

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

3/4 pound white fish (I used snapper)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or Monterey Jack)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1/3 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt
1/4 cup chopped green onions optional
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley optional
Chipotle Dipping Sauce optional, for serving

Instructions

Cut fish into chunks and place into food processor. Pulse a few times to chop fine.
Add remaining ingredients and pulse a few times to combine.
Using a large scoop, scoop out mixture and form into cakes, using your hands.
Place on a wax paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
While fish cakes are in the refrigerator, heat a skillet with about an inch of vegetable oil.
Cook fish cakes, in batches, in the hot oil, until done and browned, turned when necessary.
Drain on a paper-towel lined pan.
Serve plain for with Chipotle Dipping Sauce.