Ken’s Texas Red (under contruction…)

This is labor intensive but amazing

What You need:
SPICE BLEND 1

  • 1.5 TBSP onion powder
  • 1.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 TBSP ground chili powder

SPICE BLEND 2

  • 6 TBSP chili powder (no salt)
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 1 TBSP paprika, hot
  • 1 TBSP cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 TBSP beef bouillon crystals
  • 1 TBSP chicken bouillon crystals

SPICE BLEND 3 (yes, 3)

  • 1 tsp paprika, hot
  • 1 tsp paprika (regular)
  • 1 TBSP cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder

THE REST:

  • 3 lbs beef chuck or sirloin tri-tip cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 3 tsp bacon fat
  • 32 oz chicken broth
  • 32 oz beef broth
  • 1 tsp red hot sauce
  • 1 tsp green hot sauce
  • 10 oz can Rotel
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • Water as needed
  • 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt to taste

What to do:

Brown the meat in batches in the bacon fat. As the meat cooks, sprinkle with Spice Blend 1. Add the meat to a large chili pot with chicken broth, hot sauces and Rotel. Bring to boil, cover and cook over medium heat for an hour. Add water as necessary to thin out sauce.

While the meat is simmering, in a saucepan combine Spice Blend 2 with the tomato sauce, 1/2 the beef broth, the beef and chicken bouillon crystals, Worcestershire sauce and enough of remaining beef broth to make a medium-thick sauce. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover.

After the meat has cooked an hour, add the contents of the saucepan to the chili pot. Bring to boil, turn off the heat and let the pot rest, covered, for an hour.

Bring the pot back to a boil and all of Spice Blend 3. Cook for 30 minutes

Rosemary & Red Wine Flat Iron Steaks

What you need:

  • 1 flat iron steak, 1 lb each
  • 1/4 cup dry red wine
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 3 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp sea salt

What to do:

Combine all ingredients in large ziploc bag and marinate steaks in the fridge for at least an hour. Grill for 6-8 minutes per side and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Spaghetti Squash Bake (low carb)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1.5 cups Rao’s marinara sauce
  • 4 cups cooked spaghetti squash
  • 1.25 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Fresh basil or parsley to garnish

What to do:

Cook the squash: Cut into 1″ rings, drizzle with EVOO and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Flip and cook 15 more minutes

Brown ground beef (season with salt and pepper). Be sure to stir a lot to break up the beef so its not in big chunks. Once browned, add marinara and simmer a few minutes. Add in cooked spaghetti squash, Parmesan cheese and mix well.

Top with shredded mozzarella and back at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browned. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.

Braised Celery

What you need:

  • 8 stalks of celery, rinsed and trimmed and sliced into 1″ pices
  • 1 TBSP unsalted butter
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 cup beef stock/broth

What to do:

Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium heat and add celery, salt, pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add beef broth and cook covered on low heat for about 5 minutes until celery is tender. Remove lid and continue to cook until liquid has reduced.

Avocado Alfredo

What you need:

  • 1 ripe Avocado
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 unsalted butter
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup (3 oz) shredded manchego cheese
  • 1 spiralized zucchini

What to do:

Slice the avocado, remove pit and scoop flesh into bowl. Add the lemon juice and salt and mash/mix well.

In large pan, melt the butter over med-low heat. Once melted, mix in the heavy cream. Increase heat to med-high and let mixture come up to a simmer, but do not boil! Once a simmer is reached, turn heat to low and add 1/4 cup of the manchego cheese and stir until completely blended. Repeat 1/4 at a time until all the cheese is incorporated. Add the avocado mash and whisk until incorporated. Add zoodles and heat a few minutes until zoodles are soft.

Chicken, Broccoli & Cauliflower casserole (keto)

What you need:

  • 16 oz frozen cauliflower
  • 16 oz frozen broccoli
  • Rotisserie chicken
  • 1 onion
  • butter or oil of choice
  • 3/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 3 (or so) cups sharp cheddar cheese

What to do:

Leave the broccoli and cauliflower out to defrost for an hour or so. You don’t want it totally frozen or totally defrosted. Remove meat from the chicken and shred/chop it into bite-sized pieces. If it’s a large (ie from Costco) chicken, you’ll only use about half the meat.

Preheat oven to 350.

In large dutch oven, saute onions in butter or oil of your choice until soft. Add the garlic during the last few minutes of cooking to soften. Set onion and garlic aside in a small bowl. In the dutch oven, put the cream cheese, whipping cream, chicken stock, salt and pepper and stir until melted and blended. Add 1 cup of shredded cheese and melt in the mixture.

Add the chicken, broccoli and cauliflower to the mixture and stir well. Top with more cheddar cheese and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

Italian Casserole (low carb)

What you need:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 cup low carb spaghetti sauce (like Rao’s)
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 oz tomato paste
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2-3 diced bell peppers
  • 2 6 oz cans of mushrooms, drained and rinsed (or fresh)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350. Add the ground beef, water, onion, bell pepper and garlic to a pan (preferably large dutch oven that can go from stove to oven)  and brown over medium heat. Drain excess water/fat drippings. Put into a baking dish, if necessary. In bowl, whisk the spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, eggs, salt, pepper . Stir in 1 cup of cheese. Pour the mixture over the ground beef and stir it up a bit. Top with the rest of the cheese and and bake for about 35 minutes.

Cheeseburger Casserole (keto)

What you need:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 oz tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 diced bell peppers
  • green onion or crumbled bacon bits to top

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350. Add the ground beef, water, onion, bell pepper and garlic to a pan (preferably a large dutch oven that can go from stove to oven) and brown over medium heat. Drain the excess water/drippings. If necessary, put into a glass baking dish. In bowl, whisk the tomato paste, cream, eggs, salt, pepper . Stir in 1 cup of cheese. Pour the mixture over the ground beef and stir it up a bit. Top with the rest of the cheese and and bake for about 30 minutes. To serve, top with bacon, green onion or whatever else you like.

Spinach Paneer

Spinach is so good for you, but let’s face it, it’s pretty nasty.  It’s like eating grass and dirt. This is the one dish I’ve found that actually get’s me jazzed about eating spinach. Now I just need to find one that does the same for kale.

What you need:

  • 1/2 tsp turmeric

What to do:

In large skillet heat the vegetable oil and saute the onions, ginger, garlic and chile for about 15 minutes until it’s caramelized and very soft. Add water to prevent burning if it starts to dry out. Next add the garam masala, turmeric, coriander and cumin and a little water if you haven’t already added any. Cook a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the spinach, salt and 1/2 cup water, stir, and cook for about 5 minutes.

Turn the heat off. Add the yogurt a little at a time to keep it from curdling. Finally, add the paneer. Turn the heat back on, cover and cook 5-10 minutes until everything is warmed through. Add water a little at a time to thin out, if necessary.

Lemon Chicken

This was easy, quick, has flavor  *and* still got two thumbs up from the kids, so this definitely goes in the ‘make again’ pile.

What you need:

  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup or so of flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup plain bread crumbs
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • zest of two lemons
  • 3 large chicken breasts, cut into strips or 10 chicken breast tenders

What to do:

you need three shallow bowls. In the first, put the flour. In the second, put the eggs. In the third put the bread crumbs, seasonings and lemon zest and mix it well. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Dredge your chicken in the flour, dip in the eggs and then press into the breadcrumb mixture, being sure to coat both sides and press down on the breadcrumbs so they stick. Put the chicken in the pan and cook until golden on both sides. Cool on a paper-towel and you’re done!

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