Cheddar Zucchini Chips in the air fryer are a quick, easy and flavor-packed appetizer to serve with your favorite dip or side dish that pairs with most everything.
This zucchini snack is is also low-carb, gluten-free, and keto-friendly – plus, it only made with a few wholesome ingredients.
For the best, crispy zucchini chips, make sure that the vegetable is cut thiny in about ¼” inch crosswise slices. If you notice excess moisture on the cut zucchini, pat dry with a paper towel. This is how to keep zucchini chips from getting soggy.
The “breading” isn’t the traditional flour or panko – it’s crushed all-cheese snacks (popular brands are Moon Cheese Snack, Just the Cheese and Whisps Cheese Crisps) along with almond meal and dried herbs. These simple ingredients, held on with an egg wash, ensure these remain low carb zucchini chips – with a surprise bonus of more than 10 grams of protein per serving!
This keto cheddar zucchini chip recipe makes four servings – that’s about 10 “chips” give or take. It’s a satisfying way to use up zucchini and each portion comes in at 154 caloires, 3.9g net carb, 10.5g fat, 10.7g protein.
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I used my Omni Pro Air Fryer from from Instant Pot to make my favorite zucchini recipe. In just about 6 to 8 minutes, an air fryer gets everything nice and crisp. You CAN use a traditional oven at 400F degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes, carefully flipping the chips halfway through.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commisison from purchase, however the price to you remains the same. Proceeds are used to help operate The Fit Fork – thank you!
A low-carb, gluten-free and keto-friendly way to snack and get more vegetables in your day! These easy air fryer zucchini chips use just a few simple ingredients and are done in minutes – perfect for game day entertaining or a delicious side dish and alternative to fries.
Lemon, Blueberry & Almond Granola is perfect for breakfast with milk or on yogurt — or for eating straight by the handful as a snack. I’ve used my kitchen hacks (like using alternative sweeteners and adding collagen powder) to moderate carbohydrates, boost protein and create a nutritious food to fuel my goals.
Preparing homemade granola is surprisingly easy . . . and super economical. Oats are inexpensive and can really stretch your food budget a long way — the biggest expense in homemade granola is the array of mix-ins like nuts, dried fruit, seeds and such. But you still get more goodies in your batch than you’d find in a more expensive bag of packaged granola.
Check out this video tutorial on how to make Lemon Blueberry Almond Granola!
As hinted, this lower-carb, higher protein Lemon, Blueberry & Almond Granola uses a few favorite products — a honey alternative (or any zero-carb syrup will do) and unflavored collagen. And, so many wholesome, good-for-you ingredients in this low carb blueberry granola.
I’m a long-time user of collagen hydrolysate from Great Lakes Wellness. They have quite a few flavors, but the unflavored (green can) is very versatile for everything from mixing into coffee to using as a protein multiplier in recipes like this homemade granola with collagen.
LEMON BLUEBERRY & ALMOND GRANOLA – Lower Carb and Packed with Protein!
Crunch, lightly sweet and wholesomely satisfying for breakfast or a snack, this easy homemade granola recipe features oats, dried blueberries and almonds — and also sugar swaps and collagen powder to keep the carbs lowered and protein up!
Who wouldn’t love a low-carb, gluten-free cookie inspired by the most coveted coffee shop drink of autumn – pumpkin spice latte!? Easy to make, using almond flour and natural sweetener alternatives to keep the carbs down, these pumpkin spice cookies turn out soft, chewy and heavenly-scented every time!
Ready in under 30 minutes from mixing up to munching down! So, let’s get going!
The first step in these table sugar-free pumpkin cookies is to mix up the dough. With the butter softened, I found it easy enough to mix up by hand – but a mixer is fine too!
First the butter and sugar substitute are creamed. I used a monk fruit-erythritol granulated baking blend that has a 1:1 sugar replacement equivalency. So, for this matter, you can swap back in any type of sugar that you care for (like coconut sugar or a stevia blend), but be aware that it will change the nutritional value. Also note, the cookies are one the lighter sweet side because the glaze is very sweet – so you might consider adding an additional ¼ cup if you are planning to make the cookies WITHOUT glaze.
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Next beat in egg. Then pumpkin and vanilla. Finally mix in the dry ingredients including raw almond flour and 1:1 gluten-free baking blend. Three cups of total flour is used in this low carb pumpkin spice cookie recipe – 2 cups of almond flour and 1 gluten-free flour mix. The gluten-free flour mix bumps up the carb count a bit, you can also substitute back in all almond flour, but I suggest using a super fine ground almond meal for better consistency that won’t crumble apart after baking. Using all almond meal will also lower the per-cookie net carb count, making it officially a compliant with keto pumpkin cookie.
Portion dough into approximate 2 Tablespoon balls.
While the gluten-free pumpkin cookies are baking in the oven (on a sheet lined with parchment or silicone baking mat) for 15 minutes, whip up the easy coffee-spiked glaze. It’s a bit of heavy cream, along with espresso powder, vanilla and POWDERED confectioner’s erythritol (or similar powdered product). Achieving the perfect glaze consistency is the trickiest part of this recipe, so I always hold back just a TINY amount of my cream until I have the powdered sugar substitute, espresso powder and vanilla mixed it. If it’s too thick, I add it back in, plush a few more drops if needed. If it’s too thin, I mix in more confectioner’s sugar substitute until just right. The consistency should not be runny or stiff – somewhere in between!
Once the cookies have cooled on the pan to “almost” room temperature (about 5 or 10 minutes), I put a dollop of the glaze/frosting on top – the small amount of warmth left on the cookie will help it spread. However, if the low carb pumpkin spice cookies are too hot still, it will run right off. After glazing the pumpkin coffee cookies, let it set up fore 5 minutes before serving or storing.
Store these gluten-free pumpkin cookies layered between wax paper in an air-tight container. Should stay fresh for up to a week, or also freezes well.
Low Carb Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies (gluten-free)
Prep Time
10mins
Total Time
25mins
Whip up a batch of these amazing autumn-inspired cookies in under 30 minutes! Lower carb, gluten-free and amazing flavorful — especially with the coffee glaze!
Servings: 20cookies
Calories: 183kcal
Ingredients
1/4 cup salted butter
1/3 cup monk fruit–erythritol granulated sweetener (or other 1:1 cup equivalency sweetener0
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups almond flour
1 cup gluten-free baking blend1:1 cup equivalency or additional almond flour
Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with silicone baking sheet or parchment paper.
In large bowl, beat together the butter and sweetener, until creamy
Beat in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla.
Beat in the almond flour, gluten-free flour blend, pumpkin pie spice, and baking powder until a uniform cookie dough forms.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough, about 2 tablespoons per cookie. Release onto the lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
Use bottom of a glass to flatten cookies to about 1/4 inch thick.
Bake approximately 15, until set and turning lightly golden brown at edges.
Meanwhile, make the glaze/frosting, if using. In a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients, until smooth. If too thin, add additional sweetener, if too thick, add a few drops more of cream – however, will melt some on warm cookies, so you don’t want it to be too thin at beginning.
When the cookies are done, let cook for 5 or so minutes until just slightly warm. Spread a teaspoon of glaze on top of each cookie and let set to completely cool for another 10 minutes.
Let’s hear it for steak night in the middle of the week, whoot-whoot! My recipe for Air Fryer Montreal Steak Bites with Spicy Tomato Butter and Spinach-Quinoa is ready in 20 minutes or less, delivers tender and juicy morsels of beef, and will have any-old work or school night dinner feeling a little extra special.
Honestly, learning how to cook steak in an air fryer has been my best life hack lately. Typically, I only grill or pan sear /oven finish steaks and was feeling wary and anxious that air frying beef (especially cut up chunks of good steak) might yield an overdone, dried-out result. BUT NOT TRUE, these air fryer steak bites were succulent and mouthwatering through and through.
First you need to start with a tender cut of beef for best results in the Air Fryer. Tenderloin or filet mignon cut into chunks would be to-die-for, but more affordable cuts like flat iron, top sirloin or strip steak are still very tender, but cost a fraction of the price. I used Flat Iron steaks which rank second in tenderness among common beef cuts, deferring only to tenderloin. And the price difference is often $10 a pound less!
The simplicity of this beef air fryer recipe is what makes it a winner, it addition the incredible flavor. Bite-sized chunks of steak are drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a purchased Montreal seasoning (an iconic spice blend of garlic, coriander, dill, black pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper). Then it’s just a matter of pre-heating the air fryer to 400F degrees and then cooking steak for about 8 to 10 minutes, no flipping needed!
Please note that you do not want to overcrowd the air fryer pan, this will hamper circulation and the final result may not be as tasty. Place your choice of cut up tender steak like flat iron steaks in Air Fryer. Don’t pile up, place in a single later and give a little space between each steak bite. My Air Fryer comfortably holds about ½ pound of steak bites at a time – so I prepare in two batches, which is really no big deal because it will take about 15 minutes to cook the quinoa that I serve with this easy beef dinner. Currently, I’m using the Instant Pot® Duo Crisp which is an ahhhh-mazing kitchen appliance with 11 functions – air-frying, pressure cook, slow cooker, steamer, sauté pan, food warmer, sous vide, roaster, mini oven, broiler, and dehydrator. But, did you know that Instant Pot also makes stand-alone, serious-business air-fryers? Check out the Vortex air fryers (pictured above) that have all the latest, super-crispy technology!
I start my quinoa at the same time as the air-fryer – it usually takes about 15 minutes to make light and fluffy quinoa on the stove top (and even less just to defrost and reheat, if I’ve have quinoa meal prepped in the freezer). Once the quinoa is finished, simple stir in a cup or so of chopped fresh spinach while it’s hot – it will automatically wilt down.
Now, all that is left is making the spicy tomato butter – a 1 minute deal! Melt butter and stir in tomato pesto (already prepared spicy or sweeter sun-dried tomato with a little dried red pepper to taste).
To serve, place Montreal steak bites on bed of spinach quinoa and drizzle with the tomato butter! Or, to serve as a crowd-pleasing air fryer beef appetizer, simply skip the quinoa and set out the steak bites with spicy tomato butter along with toothpicks for dipping.
A nicely portioned, balanced and nourishing meal to fuel an active lifestyle with 367 calories, 18g fat, 16g net cart, and 29g protein for one-fourth of the recipe yield (but I may have eaten more, just sayin’ – lol)
Note: This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission from purchases made, but the price to you remains the same. Thank you for supporting The Fit Fork when you shop!
Air Fryer Montreal Steak Bites with Spicy Tomato Butter and Spinach-Quinoa
Cook Time
16mins
Total Time
20mins
Amazingly easy and delicious! Create quick air-fryer dinner with beef steak bites that turns out tender and just every time — served with spicy tomato butter sauce and spinach-quinoa toss!
Course:
dinner, dinner, entree
Keyword:
air fryer, beef, flat iron, sirloin, steak
Servings: 4servings
Calories: 367kcal
Ingredients
2/3 cupquinoa, rinsedto yield 2 cups cooked
1 1/3cupwater
1lb.beef flat iron steaksor top sirloin or other tender cut
2tsp.olive oil
2tsp.Montreal seasoning
1cupchopped fresh spinach
3tbspbutter
1tbsptomato pesto
1/4 tspdried red pepper flaker, or more to taste
Instructions
Bring water to boil, add quinoa. Reduce to simmer, add lid, cook for 15 minutes, or until all water absorbed. When done, stir in chopped spinach, set aside, keeping lid on pot to stay warm.
Meanwhile, after starting quinoa bring air fryer up to 400F heat.
Cut steaks into 1 ½” chunks, place in bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Montreal seasoning. Stir until evenly coated.
Place steak bites into hot tray of Air Fryer, if your air fryer is small, don not overcrowd, simply prepare in two batches.
Air fry for 8 to 10 minutes and remove tray from heat.
While beef cooking, prepare spicy tomato butter by stirring pesto and red pepper flakes into melted butter.
Portion plates with spinach quinoa and beef bites, drizzle with spicy tomato butter.
Asian Filet Mignon with Gochujang Butter makes a delicious, decadent and yet, dare I say, fast-and-easy steak night dinner ready in just 20 minutes.
For this Gochujang steak, I’ve used grass-fed filet mignon fromGood Chop, a meat a seafood subscription service (keep reading on to get the recipe and get my Good Chop review).
Don’t miss my Good Chop review and savings details at the bottom of post!
Perfect for date night or every night, this Asian steak recipe starts with a simple wet rub of soy sauce, ginger and garlic that is then pan seared and finished in the oven. Preparing a filet mignon in the skillet and then oven finishing is one of my favorite methods, it creates such a delicious crust.
Beef tenderloin and filet mignon (the coveted steak cut from the tenderest tail end of the loin) are favorite cuts of mine because the texture is “melt in your mouth” tender, and this inherent tenderness means that there is no need for a texture-improving marinade that can often take hours. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Also, despite being so succulent, filet mignon is an incredible lean cut – the 100% grass-fed filets from Good Chop are generous-sized and have only 12g fat per 6-ounce serving with a whopping 36g protein.
Filet mignon is so tender, it doesn’t need a marinade – but a quick wet rub of garlic, ginger and soy sauce add extra flavor!
Instead, filet mignon recipes, despite their elegance, are almost always simple and easy – only a light seasoning (even just salt and pepper) or a simple wet rub (like the one I used) can make a filet mignon steak recipe even MORE next level.
For even more flavor to complement the beef filets, I made a compound butter with Gochujang and lightly sweetened it with honey. Gochujang paste is fundamental to Korean cooking and is made from red chile pepper flakes, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. The red past is spicy-sweet and bumps up the umami taste in beef recipes. After mixing up the ingredients, stick in the freezer to get the Gochujang compound butter to set up fast – then serve atop the hot filet mignon and watch it slowly melt into a sauce that will knock your socks off without being too spicy. I also love how the lightly sweet spicy compound butter also spreads over the veggies on my plate.
Compound butter us an easy way to turn simple steaks into an upscale dining experience.
In addition to Korean steak, any leftover Gochujang butter can be added as a flavor-enhancer for simple steamed vegetables, spread on bread and toasted, dolloped on hot noodles or rice – you get the idea, it’s delicious!
So, let me give you my Good Chop, review! This subscription service brings you quality proteins exclusively from American family farms and fisheries. It’s a convenient and surprisingly cost-effective way to source my protein – I definitely appreciate not having to drive all over town to source top-quality meats and seafood. There are never any antibiotics or hormones in Good Chop products and premium options like USDA Prime beef and 100% grass-fed beef are also available.
Of course, being a beef-loving girl, I made a beeline for the filet mignon steaks! But, variety in protein choices is best for a balanced diet and the cool thing about a Good Chop subscription box is that it can also be customized to include other protein options (including pork, chicken and seafood) that are just as top-quality as the beef featured here today. Visit Good Chop today to learn more about their sourcing specifications and what beef, chicken, pork, and seafood options are available for your own custom meat subscription box.
Seriously, the convenience of having quality meat and seafood shipped to your house is unmatched – especially in this day and age where many of us are minimizing so much of our in-person shopping due to busy schedules and/or wanting to minimize contact. Boxes are delivered every four weeks, and you can pick a plan that is best for you – either 6 menu items (up to 36 portions) or 12 menu items (up to 72 portions) per delivery. Good Chop delivers pretty much everywhere in the lower 48 US states. They email you tracking links to alert you when delivery is expected, so you don’t have to worry about it sitting out on your porch all day. That being said, my meat subscription box was delivered in 100-degree temperatures, sat on my porch for two hours, and upon opening the dry ice had kept everything frozen solid, no signs of thawing at all. Of course, they have a money-back, satisfaction-guaranteed policy and you can cancel at any time. Also, love the mindful shipping materials – it’s all fully curbside recyclable, even the insulated liners made from plant-based components.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored byGood Chopand contains affiliate links, however all comments, opinions and enthusiasm remain my own. I earn a small commission from referred subscriptions, but the price to you remains the same. Proceeds are used to offset operating costs for The Fit Fork, thank you for your support.
2beef filet mignon steakscut 1-3/4 to 2 inches thick (about 12 to 14-ounces total)
1tablespoonreduced-sodium soy saucedivided
1teaspoonminced gingerdivided
1teaspoonminced garlic
1 to 2tablespoonsolive oil
For Gochujang compound butter:
1/2stick2-ounces butter, room temperature
1tablespoonsgochujang pastefind on Asian condiment aisle
1teaspoonminced garlic
1teaspoonsesame oil
1teaspoonfresh lemon juice
1teaspoonhoney
1/4teaspoonground black pepper
Parchment or wax paper for storingoptional
Instructions
Ahead of time or at the start of preparing steaks, make Gochujang compound butter by simply mixing together softened butter, Gochujang past, garlic, sesame oil, lemon juice honey and black pepper until combined. May leave in bowl or wrap up in Parchment paper, twisting off ends. Stick in freezer while steaks cook to firm up.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Brush beef filets with soy sauce. Press minced ginger and garlic evenly onto beef, set aside.
Heat ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) to medium-high on stove top until very hot, add olive oil.
Place filets in skillet and sear for approximately two minutes per side, until a caramelized crust has formed and they release from the skillet without sticking.
Place skillet into preheated oven.
Continue to cook in 400°F oven for approximately 10 to 15 more minutes (total time will vary based on thickness of steaks and desired level of doneness)* See recipe notes
Remove steaks from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
While steaks are still warm (but not hot, hot), top with a slice or smear of Gochujang butter. It will melt to make a decadent sauce.
Store remaining butter, covered, in refrigerator for up to a week. It’s great on rice, noodles, toast, and steamed vegetables.
Recipe Notes
Medium rare: 130-135° (remove from heat at 125° ) Medium: 135-145° (remove from heat at 130° ) Medium well: 145-155°. (remove from heat at 140° )
Note: The reason you take steaks off the heat BEFORE the desired finish temperature is because they will continue to cook (with temperature rising 7° on average) as they rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
