Monthly Archives: September 2020

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Comfort Food Equals Casserole

Photo: Cauliflower and Chicken Alfredo Casserole

Occasionally, I get an urge for some great comfort food. Things like pasta or fried chicken with mashed potatoes. I’ve found ways to make most of them work with substitutes that are lower in carbohydrates. To be honest, nothing is quite like pasta although a few are on the market that are low and taste pretty good.

Still, for a pasta or potato substitute, I keep coming back to the good old cauliflower. When it’s fresh or even frozen, the flavor is mild and works well with sauces. If you let it sit too long in the ‘fridge, it gets a stronger and not as pleasing taste. The same is true with turnips and other related vegetables.

When I saw this recipe for Chicken with Bacon, Ranch Dressing, and Penne Pasta, I was tempted to make it with a lower carb pasta, but I didn’t have any. So, I used cauliflower, and it came out great. Put that one in the make-often file. This uses pre-cooked chicken, store-bought Alfredo sauce and ranch dressing, so it comes together quickly.  I used Great Value (Wal-Mart brand) Alfredo Sauce and Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb spices.

I used my smaller bread loaf/casserole pan to bake this, and it filled it up to the top. I suggest at least 1 quart, but if you add anything else to it, use a 1-1/2 quart baking dish.

Photo: Casserole Dish
I baked this in my small loaf pan. See the beautiful layers of goodness.

Cauliflower & Chicken with Bacon Casserole

10 oz. bag frozen Cauliflower
1 cup Chicken, cooked and cut into small cubes
3/4 cup Alfredo Sauce
3 tablespoons Ranch Dressing
3 slices cooked Thick-sliced Bacon, broken into pieces
1/4 cup Red Onion, chopped or sliced
2-3 Sweet Mini-Peppers
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 teaspoon Garlic Herb Spices
2 tablespoon chopped Parsley (optional)

Pre-cook the cauliflower according to instructions on the bag. I usually steam mine in the microwave for about two minutes. They do not have to be done, just partially cooked.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.) Prepare a 1-quart baking dish by buttering the inside or spray with baking spray.

Heat a small skillet, add a splash of olive oil, warm, and add the onions and chopped mini-peppers. Sauté for 2 minutes until onion is partly done.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cauliflower, chicken, bacon, onions, and peppers. Stir in the Alfredo Sauce, ranch dressing, and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Spoon into a baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley if you wish.

 

Makes 2 hungry hippo servings or 3 average servings.

Main Dish, Recipes, Seafood

Cod with Tomatoes is a great combination

Photo: Spicy Cod with Tomatoes

I am not a huge fan of fish, although I really love shrimp, scallops, and lobster. But I do enjoy a nice fish filet such as salmon, cod, trout, tilapia, and catfish. Some fish have too fishy a taste for me while others have an off-putting texture. Even though I enjoy them on occasion, I don’t cook them very often. So, I have resolved to prepare fish more frequently. Frequent is a nicely undefined term, so we’ll see how that works out.

With this in mind, I found a recipe for cod with butter and tomatoes and changed it slightly to what I had available in my pantry. I used Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning, but you can use any Chipotle seasoning mix you like. Cod is mild flavored, so the addition of the seasonings and sauce ingredients adds more dimension to the dish. It was not too spicy and very flavorful. Timmy, my male cat who turned 16 this month, enjoyed the few bites he got and was disappointed I wanted to eat my own dinner.

Cod in Spicy Butter & Tomato Sauce

2 Cod Filets 4 to 5 oz. each
2 tablespoons Butter, salted
1/4 teaspoon Better than Bullion Chicken
2 tablespoons Boiling Water
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
10 Cherry Tomatoes
2 teaspoons  Southwest Chipotle Seasoning

Using the Southwest Chipotle seasoning, generously sprinkle on all sides of the cod filets and pat it into the fish.

Warm a skillet over medium heat. Mix the bullion with 2 tablespoons of boiling water (or use chicken broth). Add the broth, wine vinegar, and cherry tomatoes. Cook about 5 minutes or until tomatoes split open and release the juices. If they don’t split, poke them with a sharp knife to start the process.

Add the butter and stir until the butter melts. When is melted, add the cod filets. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side, looking for the fish to turn white half-way up before flipping them over. (This may vary, depending on the thickness of the filets.) Be careful to not overcook the fish.

Remove the cod to a serving plate and spoon the tomatoes and sauce over each filet. Sprinkle with parsley and add a slice of lemon if you wish.

Makes two servings.

Nutrition Info: Cod in Spicy Butter & Tomato Sauce

Asian Recipes, Beef, Recipes

Easy and tasty Korean Beef Bowl

When you’re looking for something quick and easy to make, especially when it’s warm out and you don’t want to heat up the kitchen too much, try cooking a simple skillet dish.

For a taste of Korean-style food, this easy to make Korean Beef Bowl fits the bill. If you want to make it a little lower in carbohydrates, reduce the soy sauce to 1/4 cup. This reduces it 1 net carb per serving.

Korean Beef Bowl

1 pound lean ground beef
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup Low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Swerve Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 Green Onions, chopped, divided
2 stalks Celery, chopped
4 cups riced Cauliflower, cooked
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Using a large skillet, heat it over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on it. Add ground beef and use the spatula to cut and crumble it into small pieces. Cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Drain any excess grease from the pan.

Stir in the garlic, ginger, and sesame oil and cook for about 2 minutes until you can smell the seasonings. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, and crushed peppers to the pan and cook about another 7 to 8 minutes until some of the beef absorbs some of the sauce. Add 1/2 of the chopped green onions and stir.

Spoon the beef mixture over the cooked cauliflower rice in 4 dinner bowls. Sprinkle the rest of the chopped onions and sesame seeds over the beef and serve. A crisp cucumber salad – sliced cucumbers, sliced red onions, and a little shredded daikon radish in rice wine vinegar – makes a refreshing side dish.

Makes 4 delicious servings.

Tip: For variety, use a cauliflower-zucchini rice or a cauliflower-broccoli rice instead of plain cauliflower. Also, add a little beef bullion to the rice combination as it cooks. I’ve also used riced turnips as a rice substitute.

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes, Sandwiches

A Variation on a Classic Sandwich

Photo: Baked Monte Cristo Sandwich

This recipe comes from Chef Gregory at Tova Foods, the makers of Carbquik. It’s easy to make and tastes great. The flavors go together and appreciate the slight sweetness from the jam in it. I like to eat it with Cranberry Mustard, although any mustard or mayonnaise will complement the sandwich.

Although I used Carbquik to make it, you can use almost any low carb baking mix. If you want to try almond flour, it will probably work, but you may need to add 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Powder, a pinch of salt, and about 2 tablespoons of softened butter to the bowl. Like Bakesquick, Carbquik has these ingredients mixed into it.

I recommend using parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. It will prevent sticking. Even with spraying baking spray on the pan, I’ve had my baked goods stick to the pan. So cut a piece to fit and spray it with baking spray, and this should come out easily. I used LC Foods sugar-free Raspberry Jam for my sandwiches, and I also tried it with thin slices of apple in place of the jam. If you use Smucker’s sugar-free jam, the carbs will come out about 1 carb higher per sandwich.

Baked Monte Cristo Sandwich

1 cup Low-Carb Baking Mix
2 tablespoons Golden Flax Meal
1/2 cup Half and Half Cream
1 Egg
4 ounces Swiss Cheese, thinly sliced
4 ounces Deli Ham, thinly sliced
4 ounces Deli Turkey, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Sugar-free Strawberry or Raspberry Jam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F.). Prepare a 6x6x2-inch baking pan by cutting a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom. Spray the paper and sides with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix baking mix, flax meal, half and half, and egg together to make a thick batter. If the batter is too thick, add water, a tablespoon at a time, to make it thin enough to spread easily. Spread half the batter in the bottom of the baking pan.

Layer 1/2 of the turkey, then 1/2 of the ham, and 1/2 of the Swiss cheese. Spread the sugar-free jam over the top of the cheese. Then repeat the layers– turkey, ham, and cheese. Spread the rest of the batter over the top and smooth it to the sides of the pan.

Bake about 30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let cool for five minutes. Cut into four pieces and serve.

Makes four 3×3-inch sandwiches. This will serve four when you add a side salad. If you’re really hungry, it will feed two.

Nutrition: Monte Cristo Sandwich