Tag Archives: casserole

Main Dish, Poultry

Yummy Chicken and biscuit Casserole

Moving into fall, it’s time for those delicious and comforting casserole dishes that make you feel warm all over. The original recipe for this dates back to my childhood, which was a long time ago in a galaxy no longer in existence. Well, maybe not that long, but you get the idea. Originally, it was made with Bisquick and creamed tuna, but for my low carb variation, I adapted it to use chicken and some other alternate ingredients.  Although the ingredient list is lengthy, it comes together easily and is well worth the effort.

Skillet Chicken Pie

1-1/2 cups cooked Chicken , cubed or chopped
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1 cup Kohlrabi or Zucchini
1-1/3 cups Green Beans, chopped if you wish
1/4 cup Mushrooms, chopped or sliced
1 cup Cauliflower
1/2 medium-sized Bell Peppers
1 tablespoon Butter
1/4 cup Onions, chopped Onions
1 teaspoon Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground Thyme
1/2 tablespoon Cornstarch (optional)

For the biscuit topping:
1-1/2 cups low carb Baking Mix or other Flour
3 tablespoons Butter or Shortening
1 tablespoon Cold Water
1/2 cup Finely Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 teaspoon Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.)

Cut the kohlrabi and cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and either par boil them for about three minutes or cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Chop the bell pepper and set aside. If you use zucchini for the kohlrabi, you don’t have to precook it.

Use a stove-to-oven pan to make this. I used my deep copper skillet, but a cast iron skillet or other similar item would work. Otherwise, you’ll need to transfer the chicken base sauce to a baking dish once you’ve cooked it.

In the cooking pan, add 1 tablespoon butter and melt it over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and stir until the onion is tender. Add the bell peppers and sauté a minute or two. Next, add the chicken and stir, mixing it altogether. Add the cream, broth, and the seasonings and stir to mix well. Add kohlrabi cauliflower, and green beans and stir to mix. Heat until it is bubbly.

Add a little water to a cup and stir in the cornstarch if you’re using it, then stir it into the skillet. If you aren’t using it, continue to cook until the sauce thicken some. Once the sauce thickens, turn off the heat and remove from the heat source.

In a bowl, mix the baking mix or low carb flour, a little salt, and garlic powder together. If your using a flour, add in 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Cut in the butter or shortening or mix it in with your clean hand. Add the water, 1/2 at a time and mix it into the dough until you have a dough that pulls together into a ball easily, but isn’t too sticky. If it needs more water, add a little at a time. Then add the cheese and knead it into the dough. Separate the dough into six pieces and shape into balls, then press flat to a biscuit size.

If you need to transfer the chicken mixture to a baking dish, do it now. If your pan can go in the oven, proceed. Put the biscuits on top of the chicken mixture and spray the tops with a butter-flavored spray.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the biscuits are a golden or light brown. Remove and cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 403 Fat: 28.2 g Net Carbs: 10.7 g Protein: 25.5 g

Note: This is about .5 carbs lower per serving if you do not use cornstarch.

Don’t want to make biscuits? You can substitute in 2 basic magic muffins made in a cup, cut horizontally into thirds, then put on top of the chicken base. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese and bake.

Beef, Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes

Cinco de Mayo Taco Casserole

Happy May Day! Happy Beltane!

And in just 5 days, happy Cinco de Mayo! No matter where you live, you’re likely to find people celebrating this Mexican holiday. It’s a great excuse to drink margaritas and eat your favorite Mexican food. So the challege here is what can I eat that isn’t going to explode the carb count? A few things on the menu at a restaurant are not too high in carbs, but avoid the chips, the tortillas, the beans, and the rice. That doesn’t leave much, does it?

Chile Verde is a good choice if you eat without any of the trimmings. A Chile Rellano isn’t too bad but the batter may have flour in it. Albondigas Soup is usually pretty low in carbs, although some places add rice to it. No matter what you eat out, you are likely to find hidden carbs. So what to do? Make a Mexican dish at home to celebrate with family and friends.

Here’s one that is easy to do and uses spaghetti squash as a stand-in for rice and tortillas. It’s a casserole that can be made in a stove-to-oven deep skillet or prepared in any skillet and transferred to a casserole dish. I’ll be posting two more recipes this week, so check back to see what else you can do for the day and check out the blog for many recipes already on it.

If that’s not enough, I have a Mexican Food booklet that has 15 recipes in it, most of which are not on this site. Check it out at Amazon.com or Smashwords (link in the sidebar.)

Spaghetti Squash Taco Casserole

3 cups cooked Spaghetti Squash (cooking instructions below)
1 cup Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese
2 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 lb. Ground Beef
1/3 cup finely chopped Sweet Peppers
2 teaspoons Taco Seasoning
2 Green Onions, thinly sliced
1 can 15 oz. Tomatoes with Chile

To Cook the Squash:
About two hours before you want to make the casserole, roast the squash.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (f.)

With a heavy knife, like a Chef’s knife, cut the squash down the middle vertically from stem to bottom. Use a spoon to remove the seeds and any gummy strings. Rinse out and dry with a paper towel. Use about a teaspoon of Olive Oil and rub it into each side of the squash and sprinkle a little salt on it.

Spaghetti Squash face up waiting to be oiled. Turn them over to roast so the cut side is down.

Wrap a cookie tin or baking tin with aluminum foil and place the squash on top face down so the shell is on top.

Bake for 50 minutes. Remove and let cool about 15 to 20 minutes until you can handle the squash without burning your fingers. Use a fork to separate the strands of the squash into a bowl. Cover and set aside or refrigerate until you prepare the meat sauce.

Sauce and assembly:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (f.)

In a deep skillet-to-oven pan, such as a cast iron or copper skillet, brown the ground beef until it is lightly browned. Remove to a plate or bowl and wipe any excess oil from the pan. Put the cream cheese in the pan and add the taco seasoning, sweet peppers, and tomatoes. Cook and stir until it is blended and heat up. Add the ground beef, then stir in half the cheese and add the spaghetti squash and mix until the sauce is evenly distributed into the squash. Smooth with the back of a spoon until even.

If you don’t have a skillet that can go into the oven, then transfer the mixture into a large casserole dish and smooth it with the spoon.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and put in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and the dish is bubbly.

Cooked casserole in a skillet.

Let cool about 10 minutes, then serve with sour cream and guacamole if desired.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Nutrition Information per serving (6 servings):
Calories: 292 Fat: 20.5 g Net Carbs: 7.9 g Protein:16.2 g

Nutrition Information per serving (8 servings):
Calories: 219 Fat: 15.4 g Net Carbs: 5.9 g Protein:12.1 g

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Summery Squash Side Dish

It’s summer squash season, not that we can’t get a lot of these tasty vegetables year-round these days, but in summer the produce seems especially plentiful. I’ve done zucchini chips, sautes, stir-fries, and other ways to prepare the squash. Recently, I saw a recipe for corn souffle, using fresh corn. Why not squash? I asked myself. And immediately adapted the recipe to a mix of summer squash. This recipe makes four servings, a little over 1/2 cup per serving, but use a 1 cup souffle dish since it will rise and then collapse.

With just the two of us to eat them, I stored 2 cooked ones in the ‘fridge for a couple of days and the herbs seemed to settle into it better making it more flavorful, so don’t be shy about making it one day and eating it a day or two later. You can also prepare it ahead of time and cook it later in the day to save time. This is a great side dish with chicken, steak, pork chops or seafood.

Summer Squash Souffle

3 cups chopped Zucchini, Crookneck, or other Summer Squash
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
2 large Eggs
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon  freshly ground Black Pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 tablespoons Bacon Pieces (1 slice, optional)
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Chopped Chives or Parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (F.). Prepare the ramekins (souffle dishes) by spraying with cooking spray, going all the way up the sides.

Put all the ingredients except the bacon and the chives or parsley into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Pulse until mixed, then turn on long enough to make a smooth puree.

Divide evenly among the four ramekins and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the bacon bits and chives or parsley over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until they are puffed and golden. Take a photo immediately because they will fall as soon as they begin to cool. The sooner you serve them, the fluffier they look.

Makes four yummy servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories:166.5 Fat: 13.3 g Net Carbs: 3.7 g Protein: 8.4 g