I’m convinced that if you have good spices and a few staple items like onions, garlic, peppers and cheese, you can turn any veggie and protein into something spectacular!  Last night’s dinner didn’t fall short.  This fairly healthy, quick and low carb dinner was a sure crowd pleaser and it only took me about 30 minutes to prepare.  Below is what I did.  Keep in mind, I cook like a little old southern grandma… a pinch of this, a pinch of that, so my measurements are not exact.  Definitely season to taste and use my recipe for inspiration!

Salmon Recipe:

3-4 Pieces of salmon
2T Mayo (add a dash of your favorite spice.  I used tequila lime.)
½ cup mozzarella cheese
A few dashes of your favorite spices (I used seasoned salt, Old Bay, garlic powder and tequila lime seasoning)

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray baking dish with cooking oil.  Season salmon with spices; Mix cheese into seasoned mayo; spread over the top of the salmon and bake for 15 minutes.

Zucchini Recipe:

2 large zucchini (or 4 small zucchinis)
Smoked turkey sausage 
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow onion
1T minced garlic
1/2 jar of Alfredo sauce
Salt 
Pepper
Tequila lime seasoning (or lemon pepper, if you have it)
Olive oil

Using a vegetable pasta maker (I have the Veggetti), cut the zucchini into noodles and set aside.  In a large pan heat olive oil and then saute sausage for several minutes on medium heat.  Once sausage has browned a bit, add zucchini, peppers and onions and cook until tender.  *Add seasonings, garlic and Alfredo sauce.  Simmer on low for about 5 minutes.


*If your zucchini produces a lot of water in the pan, pour it off before adding the final ingredients (seasonings, garlic and sauce).  

Holidays are the perfect time for this delicious maple glazed ham recipe.  The first time I made it, I couldn't go into the kitchen without eating a little piece.  Try it for your family.  Enjoy!


ingredients

• 1 7 - 9 pound fully cooked ham

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 6 canned pineapple rings, thinly sliced

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees . Place the ham facedown in a roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup and mustard and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook until reduced slightly, about 2 minutes; set aside.
3. Brush the baked ham with the glaze, then top with the pineapple rings, securing them with toothpicks. Return the ham to the oven and bake uncovered until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Original recipe from www.rachaelraymag.com called "brown-sugar glazed ham".

I'm always looking for low-carb dinner ideas.  Here is a delicious and very versatile dinner idea, zucchini lasagna.  This recipe can be prepared with sliced zucchini in place of the noodles, cooked lasagna noodles or a combination of both.  The dish below had about 2 layers with zucchini and one layer with noodles.  Give it a try.  It was a hit with my whole family!

Recipe:

1lb. ground turkey (or beef)
1 jar of Ragu vegetable spaghetti sauce
1/2 onion
2 med. zucchini
4 lasagna noodles
1 tsp minced garlic
seasoned salt
pepper
oregano
basil
Sazon seasoning
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup shaved parmesan cheese
1 pkg mozzarella cheese

1.  Brown meat and drain. Add sauce, minced garlic, chopped onion and seasonings to taste. Set aside.

2.  In a small bowl mix yogurt, parmesan cheese and a couple dashes of Sazon seasoning, to taste. Set aside.

3. Slice zucchini long ways and set aside.  If using lasagna noodles, cook according to package, rinse in cold water, then set aside.

4. In a 9x13 pan, layer the meat sauce, zucchini/noodles, dollops of the yogurt cheese mix, mozzarella cheese and then repeat until all ingredients are gone.

Bake for 350 degrees; 45 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered. 

Enjoy!!!

Looking for a delicious way to make chicken? Try my Cajun Stuffed Chicken recipe:

3-4 chicken breast
Cajun spices
Seasoned salt
Garlic powder
2 cups of spinach
1/2 red bell pepper
1T minced garlic
Olive oil
I cup pepperjack cheese

Preheat over to 400 degrees.  Season chicken breast with you favorite Cajun spices, salt and garlic powder and then set aside. In a small pan, saute in spinach, sliced red bell pepper and garlic in a the olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Cut pockets into the chicken breasts and stuff with the spinach mixture and the cheese. Bake on an oiled pan for 30 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Slow cooker meals are usually pretty simple to prepare and they save you time in the kitchen.  Here is a super easy and delicious one-pot dish that saved time and was a hit with my whole family!

Ingredient:

4 chicken breast
Chicken flavored stuffing mix
Cream of mushroom soup, 14.5 oz can
3/4 cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of water
Frozen vegetables, 10 oz can
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top the chicken with the stuffing mix. In a separate bowl mix the soup, yogurt and water. Spoon that mixture over the stuffing mix in the slow cooker. Lastly, top with the frozen vegetables.

Cook on high for 4 hours.

6 servings