Pecan Crusted Tilapia

Needed a change from my normal chicken meals.  Tonight I was determined to fix fish.   I rarely cook fish.  It's always been so intimidating to fix, but it's not at all difficult.  It's all in my head.  I'm SO SO glad I chose to finally do it.  It was fabulous and will be rotated through my meal plans much more often.  I like this particular recipe because I can do it just for me or easily double or triple the batter if my family actually feels like eating fish. (which they didn't tonight)

Frozen Tilapia, defrost your filet

"batter" consists of: 1 egg, 2 Tbsp. heavy cream, 1 Tbsp.
coconut flour, squirt of Sriracha sauce, salt and pepper

batter and handful of pecans

dry Tilapia filet with paper towel, salt and pepper it, then dunk in batter,
afterwards sprinkle chopped pecans on the top and bottom of filet

I cut my filet into two longer pieces.  One side was thicker and
I figured it would need an extra minute or two to cook.
The thin piece needed almost 2 min./side, the thicker piece needed almost 3 min./side

ummm....yes, I started eating before remembering I needed
to take the final shot.  I also added extra sriracha sauce, because
you can NEVER have too much sriracha.  ;-) 

Italian Eggplant Lasagna

Last week I made myself a few slices of fried eggplant (with coconut flour) and now I need to use the last of the eggplant so I don't have to throw it away.  I hate when I buy veggies and end up having to compost it because I forgot about it in the crisper.  That happens WAY more often than I'd like to admit.  So....Italian night it is.  WOOT!

Brown 1 lb. ground beef, season with salt and pepper,
then add 1 chopped onion and 1 chopped link of
Italian sausage

add chopped bell peppers and seasonings I used Italian
seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, fennel, and garlic powder

I added a large can of tomato sauce and one small can
of whole tomatoes. Let it simmer on med. about 30 min. then added
a few chopped banana peppers and minced garlic and turned off the heat

After the heat has been turned off I added 3/4 cup
heavy cream (just because I can)  YAY for LCHF!!!

While your sauce is cooking you want to slice your eggplant
into thin slices and lay them out on a paper towel.  Salt them well.
This helps draw out some moisture and will keep your dish from
becoming soggy.

Grease your dish and layer eggplant on bottom

Add the meat and veggies from the sauce, layer another
layer of eggplant  and  the rest of the sauce BEFORE the cheese

BUT as you can see I got overly excited about the cheese and
added it first. Mmmm....cheese  I also sprinkled on more
Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.  I stuck it in a
375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Italian Eggplant Casserole

Mexican Kale Chips

I've read so many posts about kale chips lately.  I figured it was high time I tried my hand at it.  I was looking for them to be sturdy enough to eat with guacamole.   Yeah, that's not gonna happen.  They are too brittle and crisp for that, but they were REALLY good.  I mean, like I could eat the whole pan by myself good!

I washed the kale and put it in the salad spinner to get off as much water as possible.  You could use a paper towel to squeeze out the water if you want to.

I mixed up a pinch of cumin, garlic powder, salt and Mexican oregano and put it in with the spoonful of coconut oil I was melting on the stove.  I didn't leave it in for long, just a minute or two to infuse the flavors of the spices into the oil.  Don't go overboard on the spices as the flavors will intensify as the kale shrinks and dries.

I laid them all out on a baking sheet at cooked at 170 degrees (as low as my oven would go) for one hour.  Flipped the kale over and made sure nothing was getting brown.  Left them in the warm oven to sit for 30 minutes.  Cooked them again at 170 degrees for another hour.

perfectly crispy kale chips

I just had to hold up a crispy piece of kale
to show how green it still is.  So pretty!

Radish "Potato" cakes

I'm back on the wagon again.   I've lost 13 pounds since the first of the year.  I'm happier and less grumpy and trying new things to keep my low carb life interesting, while feeding a family of 5 in the process.  I've recently heard rumors of radishes being used to replace potatoes in recipes.  Shut the front door!  How have I low carbed off and on for about 10 years now and NOT known this?!?!?  So, of course I had to try it for myself.  My boys were out camping with the boy scouts this weekend, so it was just the girls and I.  The girls were busy eating leftover waffles from Erin's birthday breakfast. So it was the perfect opportunity for me to play with a new recipe. The results were super-tasty, but not visually stunning.  In my world, tasty is what counts most. ;-)

peel radishes, the curly peel is cute, isn't it?

Boil the peeled radishes for about 5 min., don't boil too long or you will have mush.  Don't ask me how I know.

Grate the boiled radishes, season with salt and pepper

add shreds to hot coconut oil in skillet

Then flip.  As you can see this is where it all fell apart.  <SIGH>

BUT, in stirring them around almost all of them got crispy and crunchy.  Like those little Pik-Nik shoestring pototo sticks I had as a kid.  This isn't a total loss after all.  YAY!   They went perfectly with my eggs and hot sauce.  Crunchy, potato-y, not at all with the bite and flavor associated with radishes. 

crispy radish potato sticks and eggs for the win!