Category Archives: Main Dish

Casseroles, Poultry, Recipes

An Easy and Delicious Casserole

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Hello all… Autumn is on its way, but summer is still in full force,
Although the last few days here in Reno have felt like November. But it will get hot again soon. I had planned to publish a recipe earlier this month, but the heat was muggy. I found it easiest to just grab a fast-food salad for dinner.
But a friend gifted us several beautiful yellow squashes. They were pretty large and very flavorful, so one-half of one big one was enough for this really delicious casserole. Made with a low carb bread–I used Timberwolf, but any 1 Net carb per slice bread will work–it is more like a strata than a crust base. See this post for other bread options:
It will make four hearty portions or six smaller ones that are great when rounded out with a salad.

Southwestern Squash and Chile Bake

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow squash, halved and thinly sliced
1–2 green chiles, chopped (adjust for heat)
½ lb sausage or ground turkey (browned)
½ cup bacon pieces (optional, for smoky depth)
2–3 slices low-carb bread, cubed
6 eggs
¼ cup milk or cream
Salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika
Optional: shredded cheese (cheddar or pepper jack)
 Instructions:
1.     Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a baking dish.
2.     Sauté aromatics: In a skillet, heat oil and cook red onion until soft. Add garlic, squash, and green chiles. Sauté until squash is tender.
3.     Layer the base: Spread cubed bread in the baking dish. Top with sautéed veggies, cooked sausage or turkey, and bacon bits.
4.     Whisk eggs with milk, salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika. Pour over the layered ingredients.
5.     Top with cheese if using. Let sit for 5–10 minutes so bread absorbs the egg mixture.
6.     Bake for 30–35 minutes until set and golden. Let cool slightly before slicing.
Serves 4 to 6 people
Nutrition Info per servings (4 servings)
Calories: 398  Fat: 27g Sodium: 723 mg, Carbohydrates: 14 g, Fiber: 8.9 g,   Protein: 31 g  Net Carbs: 5.1 g
Nutrition Info per servings (6 servings)
Calories: 266  Fat:18 g Sodium: 482 mg, Carbohydrates: 9.6 g, Fiber: 6 g,   Protein: 21 g  Net Carbs: 3 g
This recipe is in my “make again often” file. Give it a try and let me know if you agree.

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. Although they are a close calculation, your results may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts.

Content Copyright 2025 by Rene Averett

Main Dish, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Seven Salads for a Cool Supper

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We’re winding down July now and getting ready to step into Hot August Nights. Actually, our temperatures in Reno Nevada haven’t been too bad and the forecast shows us entering August in the mid-80s. Still too hot to do anything elaborate in the kitchen.

With this in mind, I took a stroll through my previously posted salads to revisit during the month. So, I’d like to share these with you since some go back a few years and might be new to you. All are deliciously low carb.

Shrimp and Asparagus Salad

Requiring only a little cooking for the shrimp and asparagus, this dish comes together in about thirty minutes or less. The lemon vinaigrette can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Photo: Shrimp Salad

Find this easy to prepare salad here.

 

Salmon Salad

Although I originally made this on a chilly March day, it is still an excellent summer salad.

Photo: Salmon and Bacon Salad

Get this recipe here.

 

Bacon and Cauliflower Salad

Photo: Cauliflower salad

While this is my substitute for a potato salad, this one is hearty enough to be a main course. Or add a sausage and low carb hot dog bun (several on the market) for a more substantial meal.

The recipe is here.

 

Summer Vegetable Salad

Another substitute for a potato salad, this one is light, low calorie, and low carb, and it tastes wonderful.

Find the recipe here. 

 

BLT Salad

Love a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich? This is a great way to get all those lovely flavors without the bread. Easy to make and delicious to eat. Check out the secret ingredient.

The recipe is here.

 

Tostado Salad

Butternut Chicken Tostada

This is like a taco salad with butternut squash and so tasty. If you don’t have a star mold to shape the low carb tortilla (you can get 0 carb ones now!), you can use a cup cake pan to shape it by flipping the pan so the opening are facing down and positioning the tortilla between the cups to form a bowl shape.  Or you can just wrap the salad in a warmed-up tortilla.

Get the recipe here.

 

Fresh Chicken and Strawberry Salad

You can find these on the menu in several restaurants during the summer. Strawberries are a natural in salads.

Get the recipe here.

That wraps up this selection of salads. Give them a try and/or add your own twists to them. Don’t like strawberries? Add a different fruit. Prefer a different meat? Change it out.

 

Beef, Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Pork, Poultry, Recipes, Seafood, Vegetarian

Almost July! Ay-yi-yi!

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About 11 years ago, I posted a recipe for a Chile Relleno casserole that I often make. It is so simple to make and tastes so good. I made a similar one a couple of days ago and I’d like to share this newer version with you.

Just as I posted the original version around the 4th of July, this post is in the same time frame. Why? Because it’s easy to make this dish earlier in the day when it’s still cool, then bake it after the temperature drops later in the evening. No one wants to spend a long time in a hot kitchen, and you can only eat so many salads as a main course.

This recipe is versatile. Where I usually serve this dish with a tomato sauce, you can switch the topping sauce using an avocado salsa (I use Herdez), a regular salsa, a green chile enchilada sauce, or just sour cream. Easy. You can make it meatless for Meet Free Monday or if you’re a vegetarian or you can add the meat of your choice if you want a heartier meal.

Rene’s Chile Relleno Casserole

Served with a tortilla and an orange coleslaw.

INGREDIENTS:

8 Poblano or Anaheim chiles Fresh or Canned
4 Eggs (one for each two chiles)
1 cup Mexican blend shredded Cheese (divided)
1 cup Ricotta Cheese or 8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2 teaspoon Chile Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
½ cup Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour (I use Carbquik or DCC All Purpose)

INSTRUCTIONS:

If preparing fresh chiles, blister them over an open flame on in the broiler until they are black on both sides. Place in a plastic bag to steam for about ten minutes. Run under cold water and slide the skin off the chiles. You can use a paring knife to scrape it if it doesn’t come off easily. Cut the tops off, then slice down one side to the bottom point. Clean the seeds and membranes out. These are what make the chile so hot, so if you want it really hot, leave some in. Dry the chiles with a paper towel and set aside.

If you’re using canned chiles, pat them dry with a paper towel and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese and seasonings. If you use cream cheese, beat it until creamy, then add the seasoning. Stir in ½ of the cheese. *

In another bowl, crack the eggs and add them to the bowl. Check for any shells. Beat with a fork or a whisk until they are blended and foamy. Add heavy cream and flour and whisk together.

Grease or spray an 8×8-inch casserole dish. Place each chile in the dish so you have four across two rows. Turn the chiles on the second row so they fit between the ones in the first row. Put about a tablespoon of filling into each chile and pull together. If you have extra filling, add a little to each.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup off cheese over the chiles, then pour the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top. If you want it really cheesy, add more. The carbs are low in cheese, so it won’t add much more.

At this point, you can cover the dish with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake. Take out about 30 minutes before baking.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about thirty minutes until the eggs are set and the cheese is lightly browned.

Let cool five minutes, then serve. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: Poblano Peppers (Anaheim are 2 carbs higher)

Calories:234  Fat:16 g   Fiber: 3.8   Protein: 12 Net Carbs: 6.3 g

* Meat add-ins: For a heartier meal, you can add any of these meats to the ricotta mixture and most are no carbs or less than 1 carb.

  • 1 cup shredded chicken or turkey
  • 1 cup ground beef, lightly cooked and drained
  • 1 cup shredded beef (a good use for leftover roast)
  • 1 cup of cocktail shrimp
  • 1 cup of shredded crab
  • 1 cup of shredded pork
  • 1 cup of ground sausage (partially cooked and drained)

1 cup of pork chorizo (partially cooked and drained)

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. Although they are a close calculation, your results may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts.

Content Copyright 2025 by Rene Averett

Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Poultry, Recipes

A Spicy Twist on a Chile

Happy Fall, y’all! Well, at least on the calendar in the northern hemisphere, it’s Fall, but happy Spring down under. The temps where I live are still pretty warm in the days, but the nights are getting downright chilly!

And speaking of chile, I have a new variation on a chile relleno that I think is super tasty.

When I found this recipe, the author called it a Chile Relleno, but it’s quite a bit different from the ones I grew up with. Nonetheless, it is a quite delicious variation on it and not as messy. It can be made in the oven or an air fryer. Since I’ve recently acquired the latter, I made mine that way.

The recipe originally called for Poblano peppers, but I had picked up a bag of Hatch chiles at the grocery, so decided to go with those. You can also use Anaheim chiles. Each chile has a different carbohydrate count, so it will vary by which one you use. For the record, the Hatch chile is the lowest in carbs. I’ve posted the nutrition information for each chile.

For my picture, I put each chile in a zero carb tortilla for additional support, so it made a neat wrapper around it.

Tex-Mex Chile Relleno

Tex-Mex Stuffed Chiles

INGREDIENTS:

4 Hatch peppers, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup canned Baby Corn
1 Green Onion or Scallion, sliced (both bulb and stem)
1 tablespoons Chopped Cilantro or Parsley
¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup Chicken (white or dark meat) or pork, cooked and chopped or shredded
2 tablespoons Mexican crema or sour cream
1/2 cup Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

INSTRUCTIONS:
For the peppers: Place peppers in the air fryer basket, two at a time if you have a small basket. Set air fryer to 400°F for 10 minutes, turning peppers halfway through cook time. Remove peppers from air fryer (skins should be charred) and place in a resealable plastic bag to steam for 5 minutes. Peel skin and discard.

If you’re using an oven, use the broiler setting and place the peppers in an aluminum pan or on foil. Broil for about 5 minutes on each side. The skins should be charred. Place in a resealable plastic bag to steam for 5 minutes. Peel the skins and dump ’em.

In a medium bowl combine chicken, corn, scallions, cilantro, salt, black pepper, and grated cheese. Add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce and sour cream or creama to the meat and cheese mixture and stir to mix. Set the rest of the sauce aside.

Carefully cut a slit down the center of each pepper with a sharp knife point. Start at the stem and continuing to the tip. Remove the seeds and toss them. Be careful not to tear the chile.

Stuff each chile with a layer of one-quarter of the meat and cheese mixture.
.
Place stuffed peppers in 6-inch heat-proof pan or silicone basket and place the pan in the air fryer basket. If using an oven, put all four chiles in a baking pan.

Set air fryer to 400°F for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted

If using an oven, preheat oven to 400°F and put baking pan with all four chiles in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Warm the extra enchilada sauce in a small microwavable bowl and spoon a little on each chile. Serve with a green salad and spiced cauliflower rice. (Salad and rice not included in nutrition information.)

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: (Hatch Pepper)
Calories 289, Total Fat 20 g , Cholesterol 86 mg, Sodium 429 mg, Potassium 173 mg, Carbohydrates 6.8 g, Fiber 0.5 g, Sugars 3 g, Protein 18 g, Net Carbs 6.22 g

Nutrition Information Per Serving: (Poblano Pepper)
Calories 299, Total Fat 20 g , Cholesterol 86 mg, Sodium 429 mg, Potassium 173 mg, Carbohydrates 11 g, Fiber 3 g, Sugars 1 g, Protein 18 g, Net Carbs 7.72 g

Nutrition Information Per Serving: (Anaheim Pepper)
Calories 309, Total Fat 20 g , Cholesterol 86 mg, Sodium 429 mg, Potassium 173 mg, Carbohydrates 13 g, Fiber 2.5 g, Sugars 5 g, Protein 19 g, Net Carbs 10.22 g

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. Although they are a close calculation, your results may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts. 

Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

Easy and Quick Skillet Casserole for a Hot Night

skillet casserole

In my part of the world, it is hotter than normal this summer and we’re getting enough thunder storms to add humidity. Typically, in dry climates, evaporative coolers work really well, but with humidity, they tend to not cool as effectively. So, when I went into the kitchen to fix dinner, I wanted something that didn’t need much cooking, could use the stove, and was ready fast.

This throw-it-together recipe ticks all those boxes. Often we buy roasted chicken from the grocery store, eat one meal off it, then strip the rest of the meat and freeze it in one-cup packets. I had a jar of Classico Alfredo sauce in the pantry, so I thought perfect match. Instead of pasta, I chose to use a spaghetti squash I’d purchased a couple of months ago. Eight minutes in the microwave, wrapped in plastic, and it was ready to go. I always have a bag of bacon pieces in my refrigerator ’cause I use them for lots of dishes. The real kicker was we had a small bag of spinach from a salad we didn’t eat and it had about 1 tablespoon of craisins in it. Granted, these weren’t the sugar-reduced, bur when I calculated the recipe for this post, I used the stats for the lower sugar ones.

This quick skillet-casserole dish turned out to be super-tasty and took less than 20 minutes to make once all the ingredients were prepped. For a side dish, I added Brussels sprouts, but any green vegetable would compliment it. I also added a small tomato spiced tortilla with butter to help get the sauce off the plate. I used 0 carb mini-tortillas that are available from Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Win-Co and several other grocery stores. Perfect for snacks! (Sometimes I sprinkle cheese on one, pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then fold over to make a mini-quesadilla snack.)

Serving of chicken and spaghetti dish

Chicken and Spaghetti Squash Skillet Casserole

1 cup Chicken, cooked and shredded
1 cup Alfredo Sauce
1 to 2 cups raw Spinach
1/4 cup Bacon pieces, cooked
2 cups Spaghetti Squash, cooked
1 tablespoon Craisins (optional)
1/4 cup Italian 4 Cheese mix

Prepare your ingredients before you start. Shred the cooked chicken, tears the spinach into smaller pieces, cook and crumbled the bacon (unless you use premade ones) and cook, cool, and separate your spaghetti squash, removing the seeds.

In a large skillet, add Alfredo sauce and chicken. Stir together and heat until sauce is slightly bubbly.

Add the spinach and bacon and stir the mixture again. When the spinach wilts, add the spaghetti squash and craisins (if using) and heat over low heat a few minutes.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top and let it melt.

Serve with a vegetable, side salad, and/ or low carb slice of bread or tortilla.

Makes four servings.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:
Calories 233 , Total Fat 11g , Cholesterol 83mg, Sodium 974mg, Potassium 340mg, Carbohydrates 11g, Fiber 2.2g, Sugars 4.2g, Protein 22g, Net Carbs 9g

Without the craisins, the calories are 224, and the net carbs are 7.2g

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. Although they are a close calculation, your results may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts.