Recipe Saturday

So the "holidays" are coming, and growing up in an Italian family that meant food!! Omg, my mother bless her, along with grandma went all out. Thanksgiving there was hardly room on the table for the plates to hold the bounty that showed up. Of course there was turkey, with all the trimmings i.e.: stuffing and candied yams, veggie casseroles, salad. Now add it the Italian vibe and there was also a course of some kind of pasta ( lasagne, ravioli, stuffed shells) sausage, pork, and meatballs. And I was the baker, for Thanksgiving I always made an Italian cheesecake. So good, made with ricotta cheese, 3lbs of it, but it was lighter than NY style and went very well with cappuccino and espresso.  Let's just say everyone went home with enough food for a few days. It worked out well as it gave mom a cooking break also. Then she started planning Christmas. She loved hosting the parties, her, myself and grandma were the kitchen crew, if course clean up also had aunts and cousins joining in.  Lol Christmas dinner was another food feast, special foods, even homemade raviolis and veal cutlet parmigiana. Veal was a holiday meat lol  Anyway,  it's no wonder I'm on a constant diet. But that being said here are some recipes that you won't need to open the top button on your pants or wear stretchy pants.  But go ahead if you want, I won't judge you. Hehehe

- Let's start with dessert LMAO: peanut butter chocolate "ice cream"
Take a sugar free frozen fudge pop, put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds until almost melted. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut natural butter and about a tablespoon of light cool whip. Mix it all up. You have a peanut butter chocolate mousse. Eat it like that but I like to pop it in the freezer and make a no carb ice cream out of it.   You can alter the amounts of PB and cool whip to taste ( and your plan) of course.
- Snack time: crunchy chickpeas ( or as I call them Chichi's)
I am a snacker on occasion, at work often around 3 in the afternoon. I found this recipe years ago and it's a perfect low carb snack, crispy and great to annoy people as its damn crunchy.  Lol
Take a large can of chickpeas, drain & rinse. Spread them out in a single layer on a sheet tray. Bake about 30 minutes in a moderate oven, 350 for us here in US. I'm guessing about gas4 in Europe ( sorry don't know other settings) then take them out and put in a bowl, drizzle (operative word there) a touch of good olive oil, then add seasonings, I like garlic and Italian herbs but you can add sprinkles or Parmesan also.  Then lay them out on the tray and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until nice and golden brown. Sis is giving me this sweet curry spice mix and I can't wait to use in this recipe. Yummy
- Main  Course   Loin Lamb Chops with Mint Pesto
MINT PESTO
⅔ cup packed fresh mint leaves
¼ cup packed fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts or chopped walnuts
1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
LAMB CHOPS 8 loin lamb chops (each about 1 inch thick), well trimmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the broiler.
For the pesto: In a blender or food processor, process the mint, parsley, nuts, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice until finely chopped. With the machine running, drizzle in the oil and process until almost smooth.
For the lamb: Place the chops on a broiler pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Broil the chops for 3 minutes per side for medium-rare.  Spoon pesto over the meat, 2 chops per serving.
- Breakfasttime.
Brekkie is easy peezy. One of my favorites is scramble some eggs, add chopped veg (your choice) bit of s&p, spice it as you like it. Pour into a non stick muffin tin And bake at 350 for about 14 minutes or until your eggs are cooked. Put them in a zip bag and take to the office. Or freeze them for later munching.
Another one I love is just take plain Greek yogurt, add some fruit and a touch of vanilla extract, mix it up and eat. You can add some sweetness also (raw honey, stevia, whatever your choice is.
     So there you have a day of food. No one would ever think you're dieting, and your not. You're just eating better. That's what I tell myself.
Be inventive, try new foods, lots of good stuff out there and so much of it is healthy. Yeah it may take time and a bit more cash at the grocery but I'm worth it.
WELL THAT WAS DIFFERENT hahahaha
Ciao for now peeps, catch ya later.