Chicken Bacon and Guacamole Mushroom Stack

Grilled chicken, crispy bacon, fresh sliced tomato, fresh homemade guacamole and spinach piled high in between two grilled portabella mushroom tops.

This thing is massive and delicious.

This is a recipe I actually did quite a while ago and I'm not sure why I haven't posted it until now. It's a giant sandwich, minus the bread. This thing is so big I made the serving for this as half of the sandwich. I'm sure there are plenty of people who could eat the whole thing, but I sure couldn't.

Chicken Bacon and Guacamole Mushroom Stack:
Makes 1 sandwich

2 portabella mushroom tops
1 TBS butter
1 chicken breast half
1 TBS olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 piece of bacon, halved and cooked
2 slices tomato
1/2 avocado
1 TBS diced tomato
1 TBS diced red onion
1 TBS chopped cilantro
1 tsp fresh lime juice
dash of salt
1/4 cup fresh spinach

Heat the oil in a small skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook 3-5 minutes on each side or until cooked all the way through. Set aside.
Mash the avocado, diced tomato, onion, cilantro and lime juice and dash of salt. Mix well and set aside.
Remove the stem from the portabella mushroom tops and scrape the insides as best as you can. Rinse well. Melt the butter in the skillet and brown the mushrooms on both sides until they are tender and nicely brown. Place on a plate lined with paper towel to cool slightly. Place one top on a plate and begin loading. Start with the tomato, slice the chicken and place on top of the tomato. Add the bacon and then load on the guacamole. Top with the spinach and finish off with the other portabella mushroom top. Cut it in half, or just eat the whole thing.

For 1/2 of the stack: 277 calories, 23g fat, 367mg sodium, 11g carbs, 5g fiber, 8g protein

Rosemary Chicken Bacon Apple Sliders (Low Carb/ Low Fat)

Do I really need to say anything for this?

Other than yum?

Maybe simple. Flavorful.

Rosemary Chicken Bacon Apple Sliders:
Makes 3 sliders

1 medium apple
3 slices of bacon
1 small chicken breast
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 TBL olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Red leaf lettuce

Slice the apple in 1/4-1/2 inch disks, making 6 slices. Cut out the core if needed. Place the apple slices in water and sprinkle in a little salt. This will keep the apple slices from turning brown and the salt will enhance the flavor. 

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and rosemary. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken breast in the skillet and cook covered for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked all the way through. Set the chicken aside and let it rest for 2-3 minutes.

Cook the bacon over medium heat until it's brown and crispy. Cut the slices in half. 

Slice the chicken breast in 1 inch strips. Layer the chicken on 3 separate apple slices, followed by the bacon and lettuce. Top with the remaining apple slices to make 3 sliders. Slide a tooth pick in to hold it all together.

For 1 slider: 205 calories, 14 g fat, 7 g carbs, 13 g protein, 366 mg sodium

Orange Chicken (Low Carb/Low Fat)

Ooo, what is this deliciousness happening here?

Oh, that would be some orange chicken. Simply divine!

 Is it possible for it to be so sweet and still low carb, you may ask?

Oh yes, trust me, it's possible. IT IS.

 Well, may I have the recipe, you may inquire?

Why, certainly!

 Is that ham fried cauli-rice I see next to it?

Why, yes it is! But that recipe will come another day...

Orange Chicken: (LOW CARB/LOW FAT)

makes 6 servings

2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Sauce:

1 cup water

2 TBL fresh squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup lite rice vinegar

2 1/2 TBL lite soy sauce

1 TBL orange zest

1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar

1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 TBL chopped green onion

1 TBL corn starch

1 TBL water

Cook the chicken in a little bit of olive oil until cooked all the way through. Place on a plate lined with paper towel, and place in a oven on low heat to keep it warm.

In a large skillet, mix the water, orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar and heat over medium heat. When it has started to simmer, add the ginger, garlic, red pepper and green onion.

In a bowl, mix the water and the corn starch. Add to the sauce and cook until it starts to thicken and becomes translucent. Turn the heat down to low and add the chicken, cooking it covered for 2-3 minutes. 

For 1/6 the recipe: 189 calories, 5g fat, 13.5g carbs, 20g protein

Pesto Chicken Panini

I've been on a panini kick right now, trying out different ingredients so I can break out of my box of ham paninis. (Even though I still love those). If you've ever eaten at Zupa's Cafe, they have a Pesto Chicken Panini that is my FAVORITE. Seriously, I'm obsessed with them. They're so delicious. But I try to limit my "eating out", so I attempted to make one at home. And it came so close that I squealed with delight!

So of course I had to share it!

Pesto Chicken Panini:

Makes 1 sandwich

2 slices of bread (any kind you want, but for this carb count, I used bread that was 15g of carbs a slice)

1/4 grilled chicken breast, thinly sliced

2 slices muenster cheese

2 TBL slivered almonds

2 TBL alfalfa sprouts

2 TBL fresh diced tomatoes

2 TBL fresh roasted red pepper (instructions on how to roast below)

2 TBL prepared Pesto Ranch Dressing

olive oil cooking spray

Start by roasting your red pepper. Place it on the top rack of your oven and broil about 1-2 minutes on all four sides or until they start to turn black. When all sides are blackened, remove the pepper and place in a ziploc bag, sealing it. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so it can steam. Remove it from the bag and slice it length-wise in fourths. Using a knife, scrape the insides of each slice, then scrap the blacked skin of the outsides. Dice and set aside.

Lay out your bread and place one slice of muenster cheese on each slice. Then on one side, layer the chicken, almonds, sprouts, tomatoes and red peppers. Then drizzle with pesto ranch dressing. Close the sandwich and grill with a panini press or on a griddle that has been sprayed with the olive oil cooking spray. 

For 1 sandwich: 604.5 calories, 39g carbs, 34.5g fat, 31.5g protein

Chicken Cordon Bleu (Low Carb)

Oh, Chicken Cordon Bleu...Meat stuffed with meat and cheese and rolled in breading, then cooked to golden perfection.

Does it get much better then that?

 Nope, not much.

And this one does not disappoint. It's delicious and flavorful, and low carb.
Perfect...

Chicken Cordon Bleu: (LOW CARB)
makes 4 roulades

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup diced ham (you can used sliced, I just like chunks of ham in mine)
1 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
2 TBL + 1 TBL whole grain soy flour
1 egg
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (Japanese style)
1/4 tsp thyme
1 clove finely minced garlic
1 TBL butter, melted
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 TBL olive oil

Slice the chicken breasts in half, horizontally so they are more flat and wide (not skinny and fat) so you now have 4 breasts. Place them on a cutting board and cover loosely with plastic wrap, wrapping it around the cutting board. Pound with the flat side of a meat mallet until they are 1/4 inch thick.
Sprinkle the ham and cheese evenly over each breast. Starting at the bottom of the breasts, roll each of them tightly and set aside.
In one small bowl, mix 2 TBL soy flour and season with salt and pepper. In a second small bowl, beat the egg and season with salt and pepper. In a third small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, 1 TBL soy flour, thyme, garlic, butter and more salt and pepper. Roll a roulade in the soy flour, dip and roll in the egg, and then roll in the bread crumb mixture. Repeat with the remaining ones and then place them in a baking dish that has been coated with the olive oil.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until they're cooked all the way through. If you'd like  them to be a little more brown on top, place them briefly under the broiler.

For 1 roulade: 314 calories, 17g fat, 8g carbs, 33.5g protein

nom, nom, nom...