Ground Sausage  and Spinach Bake

I had some smoked salsa to use up so put this casserole together. This takes a little extra time to prep but it makes 6 generous adult portions and keeps for up to 3 days. Turn this into something of your own, vary the ingredients and have fun! You can’t mess it up!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef and pork mix (plain beef would work too)
  • 2 large onions
  • Large bunch spinach, washed well
  • 1 jar smoky salsa or tin of cooked tomato onion mix, add 1 tsp each smoked paprika and taco seasoning if you are using plain canned tomato mix
  • 6 large eggs
  • ½ cup cream or half and half
  • Fresh cilantro, green onions, 3 large garlic cloves, diced
  • 2 cups grated sharp cheddar
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Fry diced onion until translucent
  2. Turn on oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C)
  3. Add ground beef mix to fried onion crumbling the mince well, and cook for about 5 minutes or until cooked through
  4. Grease a large flat casserole dish well and pour the meat and onion mix into the casserole dish and spread out out evenly
  5. Chop up washed spinach, drain well and re-use the pot you cooked the ground beef/onion mix
  6. When wilted, spread the spinach over the meat and onion in the casserole dish
  7. Sprinkle over a little onion powder
  8. Beat 6 eggs with a pinch of salt and ground pepper to taste
  9. Beat a ½ cup of cream into the eggs
  10. Pour the egg custard over the meat and spinach mix
  11. Spoon over the salsa or canned tomato mix evenly
  12. Bake at 350⁰F or 180⁰ C for 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling
  13. Top with the grated cheese, cilantro, chopped green onions, diced garlic and any other herbs or cheese you enjoy.
  14. Grill until cheese is melted and bubbling.
  15. Serve hot or room temperature and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

The cheese didn’t bubble and melt as expected. It was a delicious smoked organic WI cheddar but it refused to grill and had such a low fat content did not melt. It was actually deliciously crispy, cheesy and smoky. This was a first time non-melty experience for me. Weird. 

I do hope you are well. It feels as if my efforts are focused on self care these days. Writing a blog post takes such discipline and effort. I think with all the events happening in our world drains the hours in the day and what I used to accomplish.

Be kind to yourself, nurture the light in your heart and the people that light up your life. This is the flicker and then the flame that builds the bonfire of love and endurance that unites us.

With love and stay well until next time.

💜

We have our dining nook back! My partners office is gone and we’re loving this sunny spot to spend time in and invite friends to share a meal again.

Lastly … Quick carrot and radish pickles.

Dressing: mirin, rice vinegar, light soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds and seaweed flakes.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch garlic scapes (or green onions)
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 6 leaves fresh basil and mint
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup avocado, almond or grapeseed oil
  • 2 tblspn mirin (optional)
  • ¼ cup good wine vinegar, or a type you love and prefer
  • 1 lemon, topped and tailed, halved and quartered
  • 1 whole bulb garlic, peeled into cloves
  • ½ cup almonds
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pinch chili flakes
  • 1 large deep mason jar

Bob’s Muffins: In Honour of a Wonderful Man

I adapted this recipe from the Bob’s Red Mill site to a more low-carb friendly version. I’m sad to hear they are closing the restaurant and on-site store very soon. We heard the line was 2 hours long to get in this weekend. Bob Moore was an amazing man, a legend in his own time, and passed not too long ago. I remembered being delighted to see his products in a grocery store as far away as Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, some years ago.

This is not represented by photos of a step by step recipe. It’s just too good not to share after baking them and I never took a photo journal of the prep.  Enjoy!

And… thank you Bob! ❤️

Oat Bran Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

  1. 1 cup Almond Flour
  2. ⅓ cup Ground Flaxseed  

Tamagoyaki Omelette

My first attempt at making these as my new pan arrived. It is quite a lovely little kit! I don’t think there should be holes in the rolled egg, but I’ll get there!

Here’s my throw together recipe.

Ingredients

4 eggs, beaten

Naked Spring Roll Pork Stir Fry

I miss Spring Rolls. That wrapped crunchy goodness! Here’s a little recipe of what (probably) goes in them… and a little bit extra…without the roll.

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 lb/500g ground pork
  • ½ a cabbage, green or red
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • Contd.

Oatbran, Almond, Chia and Blueberry Cookies

Here is a recipe for you to try! They turned out sooo yummy that I wanted to post this before I forget how I made them today. Apologies for the lack of photos, but I just threw these together on a whim.

Oatbran, Almond, Chia and Blueberry Cookies

Ingredients: (makes 18+-)

  • 1 stick of butter or 113 grams
  • 1 ½ cup of keto sugar (I used 1 cup white, ½ cup brown)
  • Cont’d

Keto Cauliflower Soul Soup

I absolutely love cauliflower and autumn!

Cauliflower Soul Soup with a Touch of Spice

Ingredients

  • 1 stick butter (4 oz, 113g)
  • 1 large or 2 small onions
  • 1 bunch of celery
  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 thumb of fresh ginger
  • 4 to 8 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp dill dried or fresh
  • 1 tsp herb salt
  • ½ tsp dill seeds
  • ½ tsp saffron threads
  • Chicken, beef or onion stock to cover veg, about 4 to 5 cups (1 litre)
  • ½ cup heavy cream

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Keto Hummus with black soy beans

I wish this looked tastier but trust me, it’s delicious.

• 2 cans soy black beans (15 oz ea/425 g – 5 net carbs per ½ cup)
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp fenugreek powder- optional
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp dried or fresh mint
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp lemongrass turmeric paste – optional
• 1 dessert spoon tahini
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ½ juice of a lemon and zest too
• 3 tblspn sour cream
• Few saffron threads – optional

• 1 tsp Himalayan sea salt

Blend all together and dust with mint, lemon zest, paprika and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Delicious Cheesy Keto “Corn” Bread

In this keto “corn bread” we’ll sub the corn kernels with chopped yellow peppers and add an optional tsp of pure corn extract if you have – it’s pricey but worth it and lasts a long time! The almond flour gives a lovely corn meal texture. This is a moist cheesy bread and really delicious. You could also bake these in a muffin pan and cut the baking time.

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