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Creamed Orzo with Leeks and Parmesan
Z3.5-Sides,ZSpecialties,Z3.5-Entrees,Z3.5-Vegetarian,ZS-Holiday
Orzo is a wonderful, tiny pasta. This is the most requested side dish recipe I get from dinner guests–but watch your portion size. Enjoy!
Turkey or Chicken Meatloaf
For a change of pace you can try a unique meatloaf. This one comes with an optional extra sauce in case you want to really ramp up the flavor.
Chicken Chili Enchilada Casserole
This casserole tastes just like a zippy chicken enchilada without the major carbohydrate intake.
Mexican Chicken Stew
Z2-Entrees,ZS-Zola to Go,Z2-Soup,ZSpecialties,Z2-Poultry,ZS-Dieter Favorites
This is a great Zola to Go! dish, perfect for those cold days for lunch.
Angela’s Shortcut Ratatouille
Z2-Entrees,ZSpecialties,Z2-Vegetarian,ZS-Dieter Favorites
When you need some serious cold weather comfort food, ratatouille hits the spot. This shortcut ratatouille-inspired recipe was submitted by dieter Angela. She Zolafied the original recipe and created a delicious ZReduction veggie sauté that can be made in less than half the time of a traditional ratatouille.
Healthy Orange Creamsicle
ZSpecialties,Z2-Desserts,Z2-Vegetarian,ZS-Dieter Favorites
We have to thank Dieter Claire for inventing this recipe. She modified the fruit parfait recipe and developed a strawberry "ice cream" recipe and this recipe with frozen mandarin oranges. She says, “it’s like an orange creamsicle.” YUM!
Chicken Alfredo with “Almost Noodles”
This dish comes together in a flash! You can also make it with steak or even seafood. When I get a hankering for pasta, I crave Chicken Alfredo. This one did it for me!
Creamy, Cheesy, Garlicky Shrimp
This dish tastes very much like Shrimp Scampi that you might order in an Italian restaurant. The addition of cheese takes it over the top in terms of BIG YUM.
Spinach Stuffed Roasted Chicken
Z2-Entrees,ZS-Dieter Favorites,Z2-Poultry,ZSpecialties
A unique way to stuff a chicken! From our dieting friend from Canada…Loretta.
Outlaw Chili Verde
Z2-Soup,ZSpecialties,Z2-Pork,ZS-Holiday
This award-winning chili recipe won best Verde Chili by the International Chili Society in 2018. "Texas Chuck," the creator of this awesome recipe, made this chili using Mild Bills Spices (in case you're trying to get his authentic flavor).
Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Mushrooms
This dish can be made a day ahead and reheated.
Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Bread
Everyone loves pumpkin, right? Well, how about a tea bread that’s made with pumpkin? Sort of like banana bread. Or even make it with sweet potato puree.
Buttered Mushrooms
Z3-Sides,Z3-Vegetarian,ZSpecialties,ZS-5 Ingredients or Less
Dieter Rebecca first had this warm and rustic side dish while in Ireland on a road trip in 1994. These mushrooms where in every Irish B&B Dieter Rebecca visited. She loved the recipe so much she recreated it for Plan Z! Hope you enjoy.
Chimichanga Casserole
When I was young I loved going to Chi Chi’s and ordering the chimichanga. Now that I know all the carbs from the tortilla it was wrapped in are a bad idea, I decided to make a lower carb casserole version.
White Bean Stew
This tastes a lot like my mom’s bean soup with the addition of tomato and zucchini.
Zola Lasagna
What makes this Zola lasagna is a reasonable amount of pasta. Most lasagna recipes run at least 3 or 4 layers of noodles. This one has 2. And I promise, you won’t miss the other two layers.
Cincinnati Chili (EASY)
Z3.5-Beef,Z3.5-Soups & Stews,Z3-Beef,Z3-Soups & Stews
This is a famous chili that probably should not even be called a chili. It was invented by two brothers who emigrated from Europe in the 1920’s. Of course, they lived in Cincinnati. When finished this will look sort of like chili but it’s served on spaghetti. There are no beans and it’s not spicy. It’s flavorful for sure, but not “hot.” Don’t let the list of ingredients throw you off.
American Amatriciana
Amatriciana is an Italian dish. Simple and traditional. I am calling this American Amatriciana because the Italian version is made with guanciale or pancetta. I make mine with good ole’ American bacon. This is one of my husband’s favorite dishes. I hope you love it too.
Zucchini Lasagna
Z3-Beef,ZSpecialties,Z3-Entrees,ZS-Dieter Favorites
This lasagna has no noodles. Standing in for the noodle layers are zucchini sliced the long way.
Beef Stew in a Dutch Oven
Z3.5-Entrees,Z3.5-Beef,Z3.5-Soups & Stews
I’m Irish, so beef stew was a staple in our family. Trouble is there are so many carbs in most beef stew recipes. So with this recipe I have adjusted it to keep the carbs lower and introduce some other veggies that are lower carb to the mix.
Sloppy Joes
You could call this the “adult version” of Sloppy Joes. It does have some ZIP to it. Don’t be intimidated by the length of the ingredients list. The recipe is worth it. And you probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry.
Summer Veggie Casserole with Pepperoni
This dish is easy to put together. The spouse or the kids can help chop and it comes together fast. You can be doing other things while your dinner bakes in the oven. Makes great leftovers, too.
Chili
Z2-Entrees,ZS-Zola to Go,Z2-Beef,ZSpecialties
This is a great comfort food. Make a big pot and pack it up for lunches on future days for a nice hot meal on a cold day.
Shallot Onion Rings
Z2-Sides,Z2-Appetizers & Snacks,Z2-Vegetarian
My husband loves these so much he asks for them probably 4 times a week and has even begun making them himself! They taste every bit as good as regular onion rings without the breading.
Turkey Meatball, Sweet Potato, and Kale Soup
Z3-Entrees,Z3-Soups & Stews,Z3-Poultry
With the winter months peeking over our shoulder this hearty soup will shake off the chill while the leaves are still falling. ZTeam coach Grace made this at home and enjoyed it so much she wanted to share it with the Plan Z community!
Caramelized Pears (ZReboot 3.5 Version)
Z3.5-Desserts,ZS-5 Ingredients or Less,ZSpecialties
Chris’s cousins sent us a HUGE box of fruit as his get well wish. There are only two of us, so in order to use the fruit I have had to get creative! Oh, my, these are yummy!
Beef Stroganoff
You can have your stroganoff and eat it too! Most stroganoff recipes are served over rice or a big pile of noodles. You don’t have to do that. You have other choices.
Creamy Leek Pie
Z3-Entrees,ZS-Zola to Go,Z3-Sides,Z3-Vegetarian,ZSpecialties
This recipe makes a yummy vegetarian lunch or side dish to go with a protein. I also put it in Zola to GO! because it can travel to a buffet.
Braised Red Cabbage
For all you cabbage lovers out there, this recipe is a ZReduction take on a German classic. While you can whip this dish up in about 30 minutes, red cabbage tastes sweeter the longer you cook it -- so if you are on ZReduction and like your cabbage a little sweeter, cook it low and slow until the flavors mellow and meld to your liking.
Chili with Beans
This is a simple chili. It’s a takeoff from an old Betty Crocker recipe. Can’t get much simpler than that!
Easy Enchiladas
This dish comes together in a flash. If you are doing beef enchiladas, I recommend red sauce. If you are doing chicken, I recommend you go wild and use a green sauce.
Chili #4
Z2-Entrees,Z2-Beef,ZS-Zola to Go,Z2-Soup,ZSpecialties
I have designed several chili recipes for Plan Z. This is one of those that is very straightforward and simple. It doesn’t even have a lot of ingredients.
Roasted Fennel
Z2-Sides,ZS-5 Ingredients or Less,Z2-Vegetarian,ZSpecialties
Fennel has a distinct flavor, but when it's roasted, the flavor mellows. If you like fennel, this recipe is great, and it's very easy to make.
Roasted Cream of Asparagus Soup
It may not feel like it here in Chicago, but spring and asparagus season are just around the corner. Gear up with this flavorful soup.
Strawberry “Almost Ice Cream”
Z2-Desserts,ZSpecialties,Z2-Beverages,ZS-Dieter Favorites,Z2-Vegetarian
Dieter Claire invented this recipe by modifying the fruit parfait recipe and adding extra frozen strawberries. She says, "it's as close to ice cream as you can get." We agree.
Tomato Basil Soup
Z2-Soup,ZSpecialties,ZS-Dieter Favorites,ZS-Zola to Go
Tomato basil soup is very easy to make. It comes together in a flash. The addition of cooked chicken elevates it to a one bowl meal.
Baked Chicken with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce
If we had a gourmet comfort food category this recipe would be the first one. Its easy to make, very satisfying, and tastes delicious. A great meal for a rainy day.
BBQ Bean Hash
Z3.5-Entrees,Z3.5-Sides,Z3.5-Beef
When I was a kid my father traveled a lot. When he was gone, sometimes my mom would let us just fry up some hamburger meat and add a can of Campbell’s baked beans. We called it bean hash. I loved it.
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
When you get into the second portion of ZReboot you can start to experiment with a little more carbohydrates. Try this at week 4 – 6 of ZReboot and see how you do.
Creole Soup (with or without protein)
This soup is super easy to make. If you are a fan of southern food this will hit the spot.
Warm Apple Dessert (Compote)
This tastes amazingly like gooey apple pie! This is delightful. Just like Grandma used to make.
Chicken Mamou
One of my favorite Cajun meals is chicken mamou. Mamou in Creole is basically grandma. So this is “grandma('s) chicken.”
Lobster Thermidor
Lobster thermidor is a classic dish. It’s decadent because of the cost of the lobster but it also has one of the dreamiest sauces you can possibly imagine.


















































