Pepperjack Chakes

What are Chakes you ask?

They're a simple pancake made with 1 egg and ½c shredded mozzarella cheese! Really! That's it!  Chaffles, cheese waffles, are the new big thing right now, but since I no longer have a waffle iron, for me, they quickly evolved into cheese panakes! For one person, you can beat an egg, add the cheese, pour it into a hot non-stick pan and voila. . .a simple, quick, high protein, gluten-free, low-carb breakfast. I always need to add my own touches, so here's one idea. . .

• 2 beaten eggs
• 1c shredded pepperjack cheese
• 2t coconut flour
• 2T half and half
• a sprinkle of black pepper

Combine in a small-medium bowl, pour onto a preheated non-stick pan and give it a couple minutes. When the edges dry a little and bubbles start to form check to see if they're browned nicely. Flip them and cook the other side.  These turned out so well. After I plated them I remembered I had a little bowl of homemade applesauce.  I spread them with that, then spooned on the fruit. Frozen dark cherries and blueberries, cut up and warmed. This was really good!

Are you wondering about the pepper? Pepper goes well with many fruits. One of my favorite things is canned or fresh ripe Bartlett pear slices over cottage cheese that I mix with shredded cheddar and black pepper, with a little spicy cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.

Experiment with different flour and cheese.  Next time I make applesauce, I'll make these again using corn flour and sharp cheddar. Oat flour, craisins and walnuts could be good.  You could also put some sautéed vegetables in the batter to make mini vegetable omelettes. Remember, to keep cooking a fun experience. . .Be Bold...Be Creative!  Happy Cooking Everyone! . .Lin

Quick Chicken and Vegetables

1 *seasoned chicken breast

⅓# fresh sliced mushrooms

½ medium onion

2T white wine

2T butter

smokey pepper

fresh vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, sweet potatoes, kohlrabi)

This is for one large serving, or two smaller ones.  Cut the chicken breast in pieces into a medium size non-stick pan.  Add the rest of the ingredients in this first group.  Bring to a simmer, stir and cook for 5-10 minutes over medium-high heat.  Add the vegetables, cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer 5 minutes then turn off the heat.  Everything will be cooked just right in another 5 minutes. . .Lin


*There are so many good 'flavors'.  Today I used garlic-herb.  I've also seen Italian, BBQ, Teriyaki, Lemon-Pepper, Asian.  You can find them in the fresh meat section, or frozen in 3#-4# bags.

Tilapia and Broccoli

4oz. Tilapia filet - thawed

2/3c chicken broth

1 sm. crown of broccoli

Basil-Lime seasoning

fresh ground pepper

fresh ground pink Himalayan salt

Cover the tilapia with seasonings and place in a non-stick pan with the chicken broth. Simmer 5 minutes turning once. Meanwhile, separate the broccoli into florets and slice the stems into a 2qt. pan with about ½” of water in the bottom. Simmer on low-medium 5 minutes. Drain and add seasonings and a little butter. Pour pan drippings over the fish and serve. This recipe is for 1 and can easily be expanded for 2-4. . .Lin

Pesto Turkey Burger With Zucchini

2 sm.-med. zucchini
1T butter
1 sm. Vidalia onion
1 4-6oz. ground turkey burger
1T butter
1-2T pesto
a dash of A-1 Steak Sauce

Scrub then cut the zucchini lengthwise, then slice.  Saute' in butter until it starts to brown.  Shake pan to flip the pieces then add the sliced-chopped onion.  Cook, covered, 5-10 minutes longer.  In another non-stick pan, brown the turkey burger in butter flipping several times.  Towards the end, put a little pesto on the meat before flipping it.  Next time drizzle a little A-1 on the burger before flipping.  Serve adding a little more pesto and A-1 if you want.  This pesto was made from Arugula, almonds and capers.  It would also be good with classic basil pesto or a sun-dried tomato pesto. . .Lin