Tag Archives: skillet dish

Main Dish, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

Comfort food for cold nights…

photo: ham and cabbage casserole

Here’s a comfort-food recipe to warm cold nights with a delicious and low carb meal. I adapted this and the alternate recipe below for  low carb/Keto meals. The original called for frozen hash browns, which I replaced with grated turnips. You could also use chopped cauliflower as a substitute.

Low carb flour and baking mix will work as a thickener, but it sometimes takes more cooking or a little more flour to get the sauce to thicken. If you don’t have a gluten allergy, you can replace a tablespoon of the low carb flour with gluten flour to get the elasticity needed to thicken the roux. You can also use a tablespoon of corn starch, but that will add a little to the carbs. Coconut flour and other nut flours don’t work since they don’t have gluten.

Ham and Cabbage Casserole

1 cup chopped or cubed Ham
3/4 cup shredded Turnips
2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted Butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped Onions
2-1/2 cups chopped Cabbage
½ cup shredded Carrots
1-1/2 tablespoons Low Carb all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
1 cups Cream
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 slices Bacon Strips, cooked and crumbled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or use cooking spray on an 8×8-inch baking dish.

Prepare all vegetables and shredded cheese before starting to cook. It will make the timing so much easier.

Spread chopped ham evenly on the bottom of the baking dish.

Set shredded turnips onto a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high power for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter, add onions, and cook until they start to turn clear, about 3 minutes. Add chopped cabbage and continue to cook and stir until cabbage starts to wilts, about 4 minutes. Add shredded carrots and microwaved turnips and stir to mix well. Spread the mixture over the ham in the baking dish.

Use a paper towel to wipe out the skillet then melt the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. In a small bowl, combine low-carb flour, salt, and white pepper. Add a little garlic powder if you like. Sprinkle flour and seasonings over the melted butter and stir until the flour and butter make a paste and the mixture is bubbly. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.

Gradually pour in cream and stir to break down any lumps. Stir in mustard. Still stirring, continue to cook, until the mixture thickens. If the mixture is too thick, stir in an additional 2 tablespoons cream. Remove from heat.

Add half of the grated Cheddar cheese and stir until it is melted, then add the remaining half and stir. Pour cheese sauce over the casserole and top with crumbled bacon.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes until the top is bubbly and brown. Let sit a few minutes to set, then serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Alternate recipe. This one is almost identical but doesn’t use a cream roux and cooks in a skillet. I didn’t include the bacon pieces in this one, but you can without adding any carbs.

Skillet Cabbage and Sausage with Cheese

photo: skillet sausage and cabbage

1 lb. Sausage Links, cut into 1/2 inch slices.
3/4 cup shredded Turnips
1 tablespoons unsalted Butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped Onions
2-1/2 cups chopped Cabbage
½ cup shredded Carrots
1 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 cup grated Sharp Cheddar cheese

Prepare all vegetables and shredded cheese before starting to cook. It will make the timing so much easier.

Set shredded turnips onto a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high power for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter, add onions, and cook until they start to turn clear, about 3 minutes. Add chopped cabbage and continue to cook and stir until cabbage starts to wilt, about 4 minutes. Add shredded carrots and microwaved turnips and stir to mix well. Add the sausage and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Add shredded cheese and cook another 3 or 4 minutes until the cheese melts.

Serve with a side salad and/or low carb toast or biscuit.

Nutrition - skillet sausage & cabbage

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

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Make this delicious one skillet meal

Sometimes it’s nice to have a meal you can prepare in one skillet. No mess, no fuss, but a simply delicious dinner. This recipe that I adapted came from Green Giant and it fits the bill nicely.

Did you know that Green Giant is now making riced cauliflower? I didn’t until recently. You can buy it in a 7 oz. bag in produce or in two varieties of riced cauliflower with other ingredients in the freezer section. So far, I haven’t tried those freezer versions, but when I do, I’ll post a review. You can also buy riced cauliflower from other manufacturers. This is great news since it means that companies are noticing that more people are using cauliflower for rice, cous cous, pizza crust, and mashed potato substitutes, and they are beginning to make it easier for us. Not that popping partially cooked cauliflower in the food processor is a problem. But quick and easy is good, right?

So anyway, the cauliflower wasn’t what I adapted in this recipe, but I added in two ingredients – the kohlrabi or broccoli stems and sweet peppers. Kohlrabi stems are those long tendrils that come out of the top of the vegetable and remain a little crunchy even when cooked, but still bring a touch of broccoli flavor. If you can’t find kohlrabi, and sometimes it isn’t easy, then cut up some broccoli stems. It’s worth it for the added pop in the dish.

Simple Chicken, Vegetables, and Cauli-rice

2 tablespoons Oil
1 pound boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 cups Riced Cauliflower
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 cup Kohlrabi or Broccoli stems, chopped
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Oregano
Seasoning Salt to preference
Pepper

Put chicken pieces in a bowl and sprinkle seasoning salt, salt and pepper on it, then mix the seasonings into the chicken.

In a large non-stick, deep-sided skillet, heat oil over medium heat, then brown the chicken, stirring to make sure both sides are browned. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add onion, stir, and cook about 3 minutes until it is softened. Add cauliflower and garlic and continue to stir and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the peppers and kohlrabi or broccoli stems, then stir in broth.

Bring the pan to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and cook about 5 more minutes until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is completely cooked. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and fresh oregano.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 236.4 Fat: 12.4 g Net Carbs: 4.0 g Protein: 25.1 g