I have been trying out some new side dish recipes that will go great with summer picnics and grilling!  I made this creamy sweet corn with pancetta that was inspired from a recipe in Giada De Laurentiis Giada’s Italy cookbook. (Here is a link for her cookbook, you will love it) This side dish was a huge hit in our house.  I changed a few ingredients.

Creamy Corn with Pancetta

Inspired by Giada De Laurentiis recipe from Giada’s Italy

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 pound Pancetta, diced

1 Onion, chopped

1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1 Bag of Frozen Corn (I used golden and white corn mix)

1 Container of Mascarpone Cheese

1 Cup of Parmesan Cheese

Handful of Basil, Chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1.)  In a large skillet heat Olive Oil and then add Pancetta.  Stir and cook until crispy

2.)  Add in Onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes

3.)  Add in Corn, Red Pepper Flakes, Salt and Pepper, Mascarpone Cheese, and Parmesan Cheese.  Stir until creamy

4.)  Remove from heat and add in Basil

Greek Salad Recipe

Ingredients

1 Cucumber, diced

1 Container Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 of a small Red Onion

1/4 Cup of Pine Nuts, toasted

1/2 Cup of Feta Cheese

Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 Cup of Olive Oil

1/4 Cup of Red Wine Vinegar

1 TBSP. Oregano

1 Clove of Garlic, minced

1 tsp. Dry Mustard

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

1.)  Dice Cucumber, Tomatoes and Red Onion.  Place in a medium bowl

2.)  In a toaster oven toast Pine Nuts until golden brown

3.)  Mix all vinaigrette ingredients together and whisk until combined

4.)  Add Pine Nuts, Feta Cheese, and Vinaigrette to veggies and mix until combined

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

4 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Cup of Flour

1 Stick of Butter

4 TBSP Olive Oil

1 Lemon

1 Cup Chicken Broth

1/4 Cup of Capers

Salt and Pepper

Directions

1.)  Flatten Chicken Breasts and cut in half.  Season with Salt and Pepper

2.)  In a flat dish add Flour, Salt, and Pepper

3.)  Dredge Chicken in Flour

4.)  In a medium skillet heat Butter and Olive Oil.  Once it starts to sizzle add Chicken

5.)  Cook Chicken on each side until golden brown

6.)  Remove Chicken to baking dish

7.)  In your skillet mix pan drippings with Chicken Broth, juice from Lemon, and Capers

8.)  Bring to a boil (you can add a TBSP of flour and whisk into sauce if you want to thicken it up)

9.)  Pour sauce over Chicken and Bake at 350 Degrees for 20 minutes

Lemon Artichoke Orzo 

Ingredients 

1 Package of Orzo Pasta

1 small Onion, diced

1 can of Artichokes, diced

1/4 Cup of Prosciutto, chopped (or you can use Pancetta or Bacon)

1 Cup of Spinach, Chopped

1 Garlic Clove, minced

1 Lemon, Zest and Juiced

4 TBSP Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 Cup of Crumbled Feta Cheese

Directions

1.)  Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook Orzo according to package (You can also cook in chicken broth for more flavor)

2.)  Chop Onion, Prosciutto, Artichokes, Spinach and Garlic

3.)  In a medium skillet heat Olive Oil and add Onions, cook until translucent, about 2-3 minutes

4.)  Add in Garlic, Prosciutto, and Artichokes.  Cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add Spinach

5.)  Zest Lemon over skillet, and then add the juice of the lemon.

6.)  Mix in cooked Orzo, stir until all ingredients are combined.  Turn off heat

7.)  Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with Feta Cheese

**Can be served warm or cold

Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

Ingredients

1 Box of Fettuccine Noodles

1 Stick of Butter

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

2 Cups Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1.)  Cook Pasta according to package

2.)  In saucepan over medium heat melt Butter and add Heavy Cream

3.)  Bring to simmer and add in Parmesan Cheese, stir until melted, remove from heat

4.)  Add cooked Fettuccine Noodles and Salt and Pepper

5.)  Mix together and top with Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients

1 Bag of Rhodes frozen Bread Dough or Rolls

10-12 Slices of Sandwich Pepperoni (or a bag of pizza size pepperoni)

1 Bag of Grated Mozzarella Cheese

2 TBSP. Melted Butter

1 tsp. Garlic

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1 Jar Pizza Sauce

**NOTE:  You can also use Refrigerated Pizza Dough, and other toppings

Directions:

1.)  If using frozen dough let it thaw and knead it into a ball

2.)  Flour rolling pin and roll out dough

3.)  Once dough is rolled out sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni

4.)  Tightly roll dough into a jelly roll log

5.)  Melt butter and mix in garlic and italian seasoning

6.)  Baste butter and seasonings onto the top of the dough

7.)  Gently cut dough into 1 inch pieces and place on baking sheet

8.)  Bake at 350 Degrees for 15-20 minutes (you want to make sure the dough is golden brown)

9.)  Serve with your favorite pizza sauce

Nick and I are starting off 2020 trying to stick to the low carb diet.  We both have some pounds to shed and we are both training for the half marathon in May!  Here are some of my favorite low carb recipes.

Egg Muffins

Ingredients

10 Eggs

1 Small Onion, Chopped

1 Cup of Spinach, Chopped

1 Jalapeno, Sliced

1/2 Cup of Sour Cream

1/2 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese, Grated

1/2 Cup of Cheddar Cheese, Grated

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Pepper

12 Slices of Bacon, Optional

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

2.)  If using Bacon you can fry it stove top, or place on baking sheet and cook in oven at 350 Degrees for 20 minutes or until desired crispiness

3.)  Beat eggs in bowl, add in sour cream, chopped onion, and spinach.   Mix until combined

4.)  Add in grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Stir mixture together

5.)  Grease muffin tins.  If using bacon wrap bacon slices around each spot in a circle

6.)  Pour egg mixture into each spot half way up

7.)  Place jalapeno slices on top of each muffin

8.)  Bake at 350 Degrees for 20 minutes ( You want them to be light and fluffy)

Keto Antipasto Salad

Ingredients

1 Can Artichokes, chopped

1 Jar Roasted Red Peppers, chopped

1 Small Red Onion, diced

1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, diced

1 Cup Provolone Cheese, diced

1 Cup Genoa Salami, diced

1 Cup Sweet Sopressata, diced

1 TBSP. Basil, chopped

Dressing

1/4 Cup of Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 Cup of Olive or Avocado Oil

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

Dash of Salt and Pepper

Directions

1.)  Chop all of the ingredients and mix into a large bowl

2.)  Add dressing and mix thoroughly

3.)  Place in fridge until ready to serve (great dish to make ahead)

**You can use any type of cheeses and meats based on taste!  You can also add olives, tomatoes, peppers, etc. if you would like

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers