This super simple keto dish is both yummy and satisfying. Chicken cutlets and broccoli rabe over cauliflower rice topped with porcini mushroom sauce.
A few easy steps. You can use dried porcinis or fresh, or a combination. If using dried, rehydrate by putting mushrooms in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Let this sit for about 10 minutes or until softened. Remove from water and chop. In a little EVOO and butter sauté mushrooms with garlic, onion, seasoning. Over low heat, add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream (and maybe a little mascarpone?) and emulsify until you create a thick sauce and set aside.
Prepare the broccoli rabe and cauliflower rice and set aside for plating.
Dredge the chicken cutlets (we butterfly and pound the cutlets so they’re not too thick) in seasoned almond flour. Sauté the “breaded” cutlets in a little EVOO (we’re not deep frying here) until both sides are golden brown and chicken is cooked through.
To plate this I started with the rice, topped with the cutlets, topped with the porcini sauce and broccoli rabe on the side.
Taco Tuesday has become sort of a tradition at our place. We have our little Tuesday night gang and the super casual, tasty, fun night is something we look forward to after a busy work day. I try to mix it up a bit every week. Some fun taco filling options I’ve recently made include tuna dredged in black pepper and simply sautéed in a little EVOO (cooked rare, you want to see red!) Blackened shrimp is a homerun every time. And of course there’s the blackened chicken. The toppings that are our go to’s are: sour cream, avocado, onion, jalapeño, tomato, shredded cheese, and tons of hot sauce! For a side dish I made some stuffed jalapeño poppers (slit the pepper in the middle, stuff with cream cheese, wrap with a piece of bacon and bake for 20 minutes at 350).
Pro-tip: If you’re following a keto or low carb diet, skip the tortilla and make a protein bowl! All the yummies with none of the carbs!
Who doesn’t love chicken cutlets? There are a million different ways you can prepare them (bruschetta, lemon, marsala…)
This is what happened last night: First I seasoned (salt & pepper) the thin cutlets, then I dredged them in almond flour (shaking off any excess) and pan fried them in my wok (I used less than 1/2 inch of oil – I don’t deep fry) or you can cook them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (timing will depend on the thickness). When cooked I place them on a serving dish lined with paper towels to rest while I prepare the rest of dinner.
Drain the oil from the wok, but don’t clean it (whatever little tidbits are left in the pan will help to thicken up the sauce. I used 3/4 cup of white wine, a tablespoon of butter, juice from 4 freshly squeezed lemons, and salt & pepper. Whisk, whisk, whisk. After it’s all incorporated throw in some capers and Voila! Lemon sauce.
So now you need mashed potatoes, but #keto…
To make this magic happen I used two bags of cauliflower rice (you can easily make this at home in your food processor, I was just being lazy). I put cauliflower rice in a pot with about 1/2 cup of water over medium heat. Season generously with whatever spices you like. I used salt, pepper, a tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup of cream and two tablespoons of mascarpone. I use my immersion blender for a few minutes to make this creamy like “real” mashed potatoes. If you don’t know what this handy dandy tool is, you can read all about it on Amazon (not that Amazon needs my help selling things). After it all comes together, I put the mashed in a baking dish and toss in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes so it get nice and hot. I think cheese in this dish would be amazing (but the hubby).
I also served this with our go to veggie, broccoli rabe. So yummy and easy. Just roughly chop the broccoli rabe. In a pot (or same wok) bring about 4 inches of water with a chicken broth cube to a boil. Toss in the broccoli rabe and cook for seven minutes. Strain and refresh with cold water (this will bring that beautiful green color back). In the same pot/wok add a tablespoon of EVOO and coarsely chopped garlic (for me, the more the better) put the broccoli rabe in the pan and just quickly sauté for a few minutes and you’re done!
I plated the mashed first, topped with the chicken cutlet, topped with lemon sauce and broccoli rabe on the side. My husband plated his differently LOL.
There’s nothing better for the soul than a bowl of chicken soup. We’re down in Florida now and some will argue that it’s just too hot for soup. I say turn up the A/C and enjoy soup all year round.
I start with the trilogy (chopped celery-leafy tops included, carrots and onions) which I sauté in a large pot with a little EVOO. I season heavily with salt, pepper, thyme, tons of fresh dill and a packet of Sazon con Azafran (please don’t write me about color additives…) Once the veggies have sweated I plop in a whole cleaned chicken (as big as will fit in pot). Add water so the birdie is covered and season again with salt, pepper, thyme and yes, more dill. I cook this for about 90 minutes or until bird is cooked. Turn off heat and let cool a bit before removing the bird to debone (you can wrap the bird in cheesecloth before putting in pot for easier removal). One the bird has cooled enough to handle remove and toss any skin, bones and cartilage. Shred meat using a fork and return meat to soup. Turn heat on medium and let cook for another 20 minutes.
Plate soup over some cooked tubettini and serve with tons of fresh shredded parmesano, salt & pepper. I guarantee you will feel better just smelling the soup cook!
Pro-tip: My hubby likes potatoes in the soup sometimes instead of the pasta. To make with potatoes, add them about 45 minutes after starting the soup (so they don’t get too soft and fall apart). I use medium sized red potatoes which I cut in half and put in skin on.
Last night’s dinner was a go-to for us. Chicken cutlet with bruschetta. My bruschetta changes depending on what looks fresh in the produce department. I was lucky enough to be in Astoria the other day and shopped at my favorite grocery store (shout out to Berry Fresh on Ditmars). So for this bruschetta I incorporated fresh cucumbers, dill, tomatoes, red onion, chopped Greek olives, a fabulous feta cheese and a good quality EVOO. I mix this all together with a little kosher salt & pepper and let it get cozy in the fridge for about an hour so that all the flavors come together. Take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving.
You can use this bruschetta on top of any protein you like. Last night I fried up some chicken cutlets and plated it all on top of some of steamed broccoli rabe and a side of tzatziki.
Pro-tip: when you steam the broccoli rabe add a bullion cube to the boiling water, this takes the bitterness out of the broccoli rabe. Also, I drain the cooked broccoli rabe then quickly sauté it with a little garlic, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes (just long enough to incorporate all the spices).
Chicken Piccata aka Lemon chicken – Just love this dish. It’s got a fresh, satisfying taste, fills you up and isn’t terribly complicated to prepare. The chicken can be served over rice, polenta, zucchini spirals, you name it. I prepared mine in our large electric skillet (this allowed me to cook all the cutlets at once versus a few batches in a saute pan). Preparation for this dish is everything.
To prepare:
Juice three lemons and slice one lemon. Chop up one leek (white part only), strain about 1/4 cup of capers, soften 2 tablespoons of butter and chop some fresh parsley. Salt & pepper both sides of boneless chicken breasts that are of similar thickness (this recipe is best with thinner pieces). Dredge chicken lightly in seasoned flour and place on wire rack. Next, heat EVOO in skillet or saute pan and saute chicken until cooked (cook time will vary on thickness). As pieces are cooked remove chicken and place on a warm plate. (This is where the magic happens.) Deglaze pan with about 2 cups of chicken broth and freshly squeezed lemon juice. After warmed through add butter, capers, chopped leeks and if you like some minced garlic. Cook an additional 5 minutes. I served this dish over rice. To plate it, add rice to center of plate, center a chicken breast on top of rice, spoon the lemon sauce over chicken and garnish with a slice of lemon and a dash of fresh parsley.
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