Sausage Zucchini Bake

I am still getting quite a few zucchini from our garden, so I've been trying to use it up in tasty ways.  I saw a recipe for sausage zucchini bake on Kitchen Stewardship and thought I'd try it.  I made a few modifications based on things I had on hand, so click on the link above for the original recipe. 

This was really good!  We all really enjoyed it a lot.  I think this is a new favorite way to use up zucchini.  The leftovers were great, too... and for those of you that know me, you know I don't usually care for leftovers... so for me to say they were good is a pretty big thing.  :) 

This is a really affordable recipe.  Even moreso if you have a garden.  The zucchini, tomato, and onion all came from my garden.  The pasta sauce was homemade.  The pork sausage was local, organic, pastured.  I did use up some conventional shredded cheese that I had in the freezer for this, but I'll use local, raw cheese in the future. 

Another great thing about this dish is that it can be prepped ahead.  I prepped everything ahead 24 hours in advance - cooked the sausage/onions, sliced the zucchini and tomato.  So it was super fast to assemble and pop in the oven for dinner.  We've been more pressed for time than normal lately, with my working longer hours at work, so having something easy to prep and get cooking is essential for us these days. 

Something else to note, I only made a 9x9 pan of this, yet I still used the quantities listed below.  It filled my casserole dish to the top, but it was delicious! 

Sausage Zucchini Bake

1 pound sausage
1 chopped onion
1-2 large zucchini
1 jar pasta sauce, preferably homemade
1-2 tomatoes, sliced
2 cups shredded cheese

Slice you zucchini into 1/2" thick slices.  Don't worry about peeling it.  Sprinkle the zucchini with salt and let drain. 

Meanwhile, brown sausage. Saute onion in with the meat. 

Pour a little pasta sauce in a 9×13 glass baking dish. Layer zucchini on top.

Mix the remaining spaghetti sauce in a large bowl with the sauteed meat.  Pour over top of the zucchini.

Layer sliced tomatoes on top, then sprinkle with cheese.  (Look at that yummy tomato... fresh from the garden... I love this time of year!)

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15-30 minutes longer, until the cheese is browned and the sides are bubbling.


This post is linked to:
Grain Free Real Food Carnival @ Real Food Forager

Pecan Glazed Butternut Squash

I have a few more butternut squash that I need to use up, so I tried a new squash recipe this week for Pecan Glazed Butternut Squash.  I found the recipe on Grain Free Foodie.  This was awesome!  I don't think I've ever put pecans on top of a squash or sweet potato casserole, but I'm sorry I haven't yet because it is so good.  I did not add any honey to the filling and it was plenty sweet, although I'm sure it'd be tasty with the honey in the filling, too. 

Pecan Glazed Butternut Squash 

Filling:
1 small butternut squash
1-2 Tablespoons honey (I left this out)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds.  Place in a baking dish with some water in the bottom and roast at 400 degrees for about 30-45 minutes, until squash is fork-tender.  Remove from oven and let cool until you can handle it.  Scoop out the flesh and mash into a 2-quart or 8x8 glass casserole dish.  Mix in remaining filling ingredients.  I just did the mixing all in the casserole dish to save a bowl to wash.

Next, make the glaze.  Mix butter, honey, and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to carmelize (honey will turn slightly darker). Do not overcook, it will continue to carmelize in the oven. Add pecans, and spread glaze over filling.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or until glaze looks consistent and filling looks firm.


This post is linked to:
Foodies Follow Fridays at Hella Delicious
Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS
Sugar Free Sundays at Flip Cookbook

Broccoli-Chicken Bake

I made this for dinner one night last week. I found the recipe on Joyful Abode. This was very quick and easy to prep and it tasted great! It was a tasty grain-free dinner. All three of us really enjoyed it. It's a great meal to prep and freeze if you do OAMC or just like to plan ahead, too.

Broccoli Chicken Bake

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3-4 cups chopped broccoli
1/2 -1 cup diced onions
4 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
3 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Cook the chicken. I just stuck mine in the oven at 350 and baked it for 15-20 minutes until it was done. You can boil it or grill it if you'd prefer. Once cooked, cut your chicken into bite-sized chunks.

If your broccoli is fresh/raw, you should steam it for about 5 minutes. I used broccoli that I had frozen last summer, so I just used it still frozen.

Next, melt butter in a saucepan. Add the diced onions and saute for a few minutes. Then add the arrowroot powder and stir. Next, add the milk. Bring to a soft boil, stirring. Add the cheese and stir. Stir in the seasonings. Taste it to make sure the flavors are good.

Now put the chicken and broccoli in a casserole dish. Pour the cheese sauce over top.

You can now pop this in the freezer for later, pop it in the fridge for tomorrow's dinner like I did, or pop it in the oven to cook at 350 for about 20 minutes.

This post is linked to:
Foodie's Follow Fridays at Hella Delicious
Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist

Hamburger Corn and Pea Bake

I made a casserole recipe from my SIL Mary's blog for dinner one night a couple of weeks ago. I had thawed some ground beef for something else, but then realized I was missing a key ingredient that I thought I had on hand, so I needed something else to make for dinner. I had some store-bought egg noodles that I needed to use up and some crusty bread that I had used to make up a batch of sausage stuffing to freeze for an easy side dish later on. I browsed through some recipes I had bookmarked a while back and came across Mary's recipe for  Hamburger Corn Bake.  I knew it wasn't very healthy, but then decided to modify it to use healthy ingredients.  I have posted the recipe as I made it below - you can click the link for the original version of the recipe on Mary's blog. I did keep the cream soup because I make my own homemade and can it. If I didn't have this on hand, I'd have just mixed up some milk and arrowroot powder with some seasonings to replace it with. I also have never ever bought cheddar cheese soup, as called for in the original recipe... I didn't even realize they made it. So I just added some shredded cheddar cheese and some milk. My mixture was pretty thick, or I'd have also added some arrowroot powder, but I didn't think it was necessary.

This turned out really well. We all really liked it a lot. I wasn't so sure I'd care for it, but I knew Kevin and Carson would. I ended up liking it quite a bit, though. Its not something I'd make a lot, but its a good winter comfort food. And its much healthier for you this way than using the MSG and preservative loaded canned soups from the grocery store.  I used up the small amount of store-bought egg noodles I had and added some of my homemade soaked whole wheat noodles, as well.  The homemade noodles were awesome in this! 

Hamburger Corn and Pea Bake

1 pound ground beef, grass-fed/finished is best
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 pint cream of mushroom soup, homemade if you have it (or 1 1/2 cups milk + 2-3 T arrowroot powder + your fav. seasonings)
1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups egg noodles, homemade is best
1/2 cup torn up bread or crusty bread
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the noodles. I used some remaining store-bought egg noodles that I needed to use up, plus some homemade soaked whole wheat noodles.

Meanwhile, cook the meat with onion until done. Stir in corn, peas, soup, cheese, and milk. I use homemade cream of mushroom soup. If you don't have homemade, you could use organic if you'd like, or else just add some extra milk, arrowroot powder, and your favorite seasonings. Mix well. Stir in noodles.

Put in 2 qt. casserole dish. Mix bread and butter. Sprinkle on top. (I forgot the bread was supposed to go on top and I stirred it up in the mixture. Oops. I used crusty bread (like you'd use for stuffing) and it turned out really tasty.)

Bake at 350 for 45 min. - 1 hr., until hot and bubbly. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.


This is posted as part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

We really like spaghetti squash in our house.  It really does serve as a great replacement for pasta and we all really enjoy it, even Kevin, who is a huge pasta/spaghetti fan.  Anyway, I stocked up on spaghetti squash through the CSA before they sold out, so I've got a few on hand now.  We used one last week for dinner in a casserole.  I didn't use a recipe, just put some things together, similar to the spaghetti squash lasagna we had a few months ago.  It turned out very tasty!  We all really liked it a lot and it was just as tasty as leftovers (a huge bonus for me... I don't enjoy many things leftover).  I prepped everything the night before so that it was ready to just pop in the oven when we got home from work.  That really helps us out a lot. 

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

1 spaghetti squash
1 pound ground beef, grassfed is best
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce, homemade is best
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Place face up in a glass baking dish with some water in the bottom of the pan.  Bake in the oven at 375 for about a half hour.  Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes or so.  Then use a fork to scrape the sides of the squash into spaghetti strands.  Scoop the squash strands into the bottom of a casserole dish and pat down. 

Meanwhile, add the ground beef and onion to a sauce pan and cook over medium-heat, until beef is done.  You could also add more veggies, if you'd like.  Diced bell peppers, mushrooms, or spinach would be really good additions.  Add a jar of your favorite pasta sauce and stir.  Pour over the layer of spaghetti squash. 

Sprinkle lightly with the shredded cheese.  You can prep the entire casserole 24 hours prior to baking and it turns out great, as well.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

This post is linked up with Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist.

Cheesy Vegetable Casserole

We hosted a Christmas party at our home last weekend with some of my family.  We had a lot of fun and, of course, we had quite the feast, too.  Everyone brought some food to contribute.  I supplied the ham and some sides, all of which were as REAL as possible.  A few days before the party, I realized we didn't really have enough vegetables, so I was going to just make some roasted veggies.  But then I saw Kelly the Kitchen Kop post a recipe for a healthy broccoli cheese casserole.  I knew I wanted to try it!  So I made it for our Christmas party.  It was sooooo good!  Yum!  This is definitely going to be a regular dish at our house!  I used to make a similar dish with the fake processed cheese (Velveeta or Cheez Whiz), but haven't made it in a couple of years now.  I'm very excited to have a great substitution that tastes even better than the fake version! 

Cheesy Vegetable Casserole

8 Tablespoons butter
8 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
1 pint homemade cream of mushroom soup
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
onion powder, to taste
pinch of sugar/sucanat
4 cups chopped veggies, fresh or frozen
1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs, seasoned to taste

Start by shredding up some cheese in your food processor, or you can use a box grater.  Set aside.

Next make a white sauce/roux.  Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Whisk in the arrowroot powder.  Whisk continuously for about a minute.  Add the milk, about a cup at a time until it thickens, then add another cup until you've added all the milk.

Once all of the milk has been added, add the cheese.  Then stir in your cream of mushroom soup.  Next, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar.  Taste it and adjust as you see fit.  You really want to make sure you get the sauce right - it is what makes the dish.  Keep stirring as it continues to thicken.

Meanwhile get your vegetables ready.  You can use fresh or frozen.  If you are using fresh, you'll want to blanch the veggies for a few minutes.  I used frozen vegetables, some broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. 

Prepare an 8 1/2 x 11 inch baking dish by buttering the sides and bottom.  Next, place your vegetables in the bottom and pour cheese sauce over the top. 

Top with breadcrumbs. 

Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy! 

Note:  Kelly suggests melting another 8 Tablespoons of butter and stirring in 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs to make a topping.  Let your veggies bake without it for 10-15 minutes, then add the butter/crumb topping.  I'm sure this is delicious, but I was trying to save a step so I just added some homemade seasoned sourdough breadcrumbs to the top of mine (without the butter) before I baked it. It still tasted great!

Baked Spinach

This is a super easy side dish recipe. Its is quite tasty, too!   We have had this a couple of times now.  Its quite tasty as leftovers, too... and I don't say that very often because I'm not a leftover fan.  :)  I found the idea on a Crossfit food blog.  You could make this with any type of greens.  I've only made it with spinach, but it'd be very good with others.  You could also change up the nuts and add cheese and other spices.  This picture is made as it is written below.  But the second time I made it, I used crispy walnuts and added some of my homemade soft cheese into the mixture.  Feta would be good, too.  Or a cheese topping. 

Baked Spinach

1 1/2 pounds spinach
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup crispy pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Saute your spinach in butter until wilted.  Add your crispy pine nuts and garlic. Saute for just a couple of minutes.  Pour spinach mixture into a small casserole dish. 

Whisk eggs in a separate bowl.  Pour eggs over spinach mixture and stir to combine.  Spread evenly in dish.  Bake for 30-40 minutes. 


This post is participating in the Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS, Whole Food for the Holidays: Side Dishes at The Nourishing Gourmet. 

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

We tried spaghetti squash for the first time about six weeks ago. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but we all really loved it! It really does serve as a great replacement for pasta noodles! We've had it several times now.  I've been trying to use it in different ways and thought about using it in lasagna. So I made one up a few weeks ago... and it was so good! Its a new favorite for everyone in our family. Just replace the noodle layers with a layer of spaghetti squash and use all your normal lasagna ingredients. This is such an easy, delicious dinner! Here's how I made mine.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

1 spaghetti squash
1 jar pasta sauce
1/2 - 1 pound grass-fed ground beef, browned
veggies
cheese - shredded, ricotta, cottage, etc.

Cut your spaghetti squash lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and reserve in a separate bowl to pick the flesh and then soak and dehydrate for a great snack. Place your squash cut side up in a baking dish. Add some water to the pan. Bake the squash in a 375 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, until the squash is fork-tender. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes or more. Once you are ready, scrape the squash flesh with a fork so that it comes apart all stringy like spaghetti.  You can prepare your squash ahead of time if you'd like - I did mine the night before. 

Brown your grass-fed ground beef in a skillet.  Add your pasta sauce so that it is warmed.  I use homemade pasta sauce, but you can use whatever you'd like. 

In a separate baking dish or lasagna pan, pour a thin layer of pasta sauce across the bottom of the dish.  Next, layer in half of the spaghetti squash. Cover the squash with a layer of whatever veggies you like - I used spinach, kale, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Next, put a layer of sauce.  And finally a layer of cheese. You can use whatever cheese you like. Now start with the layers again, beginning with the sauce and working your way through. The top layer should be a nice layer of cheese.

Bake your lasagna for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Enjoy!


This post is participating in the Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS.

Zucchini Lasagna

I've got a lot of zucchini coming in right now from the garden. Good thing we love the stuff! :) To use some up last night, I made a zucchini lasagna. I made this last year, too, but it never found its way to my blog. I wasn't going to post this one, either... because I forgot to take a picture and I'm already super behind on posts, but I figured I'd make a quick post about it. Just because it is so yummy! You can make it as healthy or bad for you as you want, I guess. I try to make it more healthy. And I usually make it without meat, but you could certainly put meat in yours. You could simply just replace the pasta noodles with thin slices of zucchini in your normal lasagna recipe and it'd be great! I'd like to try making this in the crockpot one of these days, but I've only ever baked it in the oven. Anyway, this is how I made mine last night:

Thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.
Layer of thinly sliced zucchini (these are your "noodles")
Layer of veggies... last night I used all fresh veggies... yellow bell pepper, cauliflower, mushrooms, corn cut off the cob, and green beans
Layer of cheese... last night I used some really good, local cottage cheese and some grated raw milk mozzarella
Layer of sauce... you can use your favorite jarred sauce, or homemade (I used my home-canned sauce)
Then repeat the layers again and top with lots of cheese.

Bake it in a 375 degree oven for an hour to an hour and a half. And enjoy!

Cheesy Potatoes

I wasn't going to post this since everyone makes these already, I think. At least pretty much everyone I know has made some version of hash brown cheesy potatoes. But I figured I'd post it anyway. These are very good and super easy to prepare. I made some yesterday to go with our ham and lamb chop dinner with my cousins. These are pretty versatile in that you can use whatever cream soup you have on hand. I've used cream of broccoli, potato, celery, and mushroom in the past. My favorite is with cream of celery, so that's what I used yesterday (an organic cream of celery). I'm hoping to make my own homemade cream of celery one of these days, and I imagine these would be even more tasty with some homemade ingredients.

I didn't take a picture b/c I didn't plan on posting it.

Cheesy Potatoes

1 30-oz bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
2 cans cream soup
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded cheese

Mix all ingredients together in a 9x13 casserole dish. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes.

LaBamba Casserole

I have been making this casserole for years. It's been awhile, though. It comes from the October 2002 issue of Cooking Light. This is a super easy casserole to make and it comes together pretty quickly, too. And it's pretty versatile. I've used ground chicken in place of the turkey and I'm sure any ground meat would work well. I've also added black beans in the past and its been very good, too. This week, I made it to the recipe written below.

La Bamba Casserole

1 (5.25-ounce) can whole green chiles, drained (I usually skip these)
Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomato (I usually just use salsa)
1/2 cup chopped green onions (I usually just use salsa)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cut green chiles in half lengthwise. Arrange chiles in a single layer in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add turkey, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add diced tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

Spoon turkey mixture over chiles. Top with corn. Carefully spread beans over corn. Sprinkle cheese over beans. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes; top with chopped tomato and green onions.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 344(28% from fat); FAT 10.7g (sat 6.3g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 32.2g; CHOLESTEROL 77mg; CALCIUM 269mg; SODIUM 902mg; FIBER 7.4g; IRON 3.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.7g

Three Bean Casserole

I've made this several times in the past, but realized that I have never posted the recipe. I got the recipe from AllRecipes. This really isn't my kind of meal, but it is Kevin's, so I make it for him sometimes. Carson also really likes it. Kevin wasn't crazy about having mac and cheese this week, so I ended up making this for him instead. Its super easy to prepare. I was able to use my home-canned baked beans with it this time, so it tasted extra good! I even kind of liked it this time. I also used one of our last packs of pork sausages that we got with our pig last winter. They also made this one extra yummy. :). Kevin likes to use Fritos Scoops to eat his three bean casserole, but its still good just eating it plain with a fork.

I'll update with a picture whenever I upload pictures from the camera. We're kind of in limbo right now with our computer... the desk is in the basement and the computer is still hooked up on the floor of the 3rd bedroom. I didn't realize they hadn't already wired the play area part of the basement and Kevin didn't think about it being an issue until I started moving the computer down and we realized we couldn't plug it in down there yet. So anyway, the computer is useable, but its not convenient, not to mention we've been spending every spare minute either outside or spring cleaning. I'll update all the posts with pictures this weekend, hopefully.

Anyway, here's the recipe.

Three Bean Casserole

1 pound beef frankfurters, sliced
1 (15 ounce) can pork and beans
1 (15 ounce) can butter beans
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, drained
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the frankfurters, pork and beans, butter beans, chili beans, onion, sugar, oregano and vinegar. Mix all together and pour mixture into a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking dish. (I just mix everything right in the casserole dish to save on clean up.) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 1 hour, or until cooked through and bubbly (I usually take it out after about 40-45 minutes).

Polenta and Pinto Bean Pie

I've been trying to make an effort to look through more of my cookbooks more often and try some new dishes from them. I made polenta and pinto bean pie on Monday night. This recipe comes from Quick Fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson. This is a great cookbook filled with healthy vegetarian meals that you can make in 30 minutes or less. Perfect for work nights for us! I have many recipes flagged to try, so I'm sure you'll be seeing lots more recipes from this cookbook. This dish was very good. Very flavorful and filling. And super quick and easy to make! We all really liked it. This was our first time trying polenta - it was good in the dish. I look forward to trying it in other ways in the future.


Polenta and Pinto Bean Pie

1 (16-oz) package pre-cooked polenta (I used garlic-basil polenta)
1 (16-oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16-oz) jar tomato salsa or picante sauce (I used my home-canned zucchini salsa)
1 (4-oz) can mild green chilies, drained
1 Tablespoon chili powder (I added a little extra b/c we love chili powder)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheese (I used co-jack)
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips (I used blue corn tortilla chips)

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the polenta into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange on the bottom of a lightly oiled 9 or 10 inch square baking dish. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the pinto beans, salsa, chilies, and chili powder. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread over polenta.

(I sliced my polenta thinner and made a layer of polenta, then half the bean-salsa mix, then another layer of polenta, then bean-salsa mix.)

Top with the shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more to lightly brown the top.

Mexican White Lasagna

I used to make this mexican white lasagna quite often before I got married. I'm not really sure why I haven't made it since I've been married, though... since Kevin always loved it before. I guess I had forgotten about it. My SIL mentioned mexican lasagna last week and it sparked my memory, though. I've made several different styles of mexican lasagna in the past, this just being the one I haven't made in the longest time. Its a Weight Watchers recipe, but don't let that run you off because it is so good! The recipe below makes a large pan of lasagna... I usually cut the recipe in half.

I do have a picture, but its on my point-and-shoot camera... so you'll have to wait till I get around to uploading those pictures. :)

Mexican White Lasagna

1 sprays olive oil cooking spray
2 pounds uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast (I usually just use some leftover cooked chicken I have in the freezer or something)
30 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups fat-free sour cream
2 cups shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese, divided
8 oz chopped green chilies, two 4-oz cans
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 medium corn tortillas, cut into 2-inch strips
1 cups salsa, mild, medium or hot

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.

Place chicken in medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover chicken. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces. (I just use chicken that I've cooked and frozen to save some time).

Transfer chicken to a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilies, cumin, and pepper; mix well and set aside.

Arrange half of tortillas in bottom of prepared lasagna pan, overlapping pieces to cover surface. Top tortillas with half of chicken mixture, layer with remaining tortillas and then top with remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.

Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Serve with salsa on the side.

Black Hills Golden Egg Bake

I made this egg casserole for our Christmas celebration with Kevin's immediate family on Saturday morning. It was very good and it makes a lot - it'd be great for a potluck brunch or something. The recipe called for 4 cups of cheese... which I thought was a little insane... so I cut it back to 1 3/4 cups of cheese... and probably could even go down to 1 1/2 cups and still taste really good.

And I think this is my last post for tonight... I'll try to catch up more later... I have a lot of cookie posts with some new cookie recipes we tried this year... and some breads and other misc. meals from last week.

Black Hills Golden Egg Bake

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
(I added a handful of frozen spinach, as well)
1/4 cup butter, cubed - use cooking spray instead
10 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (16 ounce) container low fat small curd cottage cheese
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I thought 4 cups of cheese was way too much, so I put 1 cup in the egg mixture and then used about 3/4 cup to sprinkle on top to form a nice crust)
1 pound bulk turkey sausage, cooked and drained

In a skillet, saute mushrooms and green pepper in butter until tender. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, flour, baking powder and salt if desired; mix well. Add mushroom mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients; mix well.

Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F; bake 25-35 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Crockpot Green Bean Casserole

I'm going to be playing catch-up for awhile, I think... I am so behind on posting. I'll start with the easy ones, with recipes I can just copy and paste and also that I forgot to take pictures of so I don't have to deal with pics. First up, is a crockpot green bean casserole from RecipeZaar that I made for Christmas Day with our extended relatives on Kevin's side of the family. I used all organic and/or homemade ingredients... and I did use canned beans and mushrooms, all organic and salt-free, though. It turned out ok... good flavor and everything, but it doesn't get the crust on top that this dish gets when cooked in the oven.

Crockpot Green Bean Casserole

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can French style green beans
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can cut green beans
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
2 (4 ounce) cans mushroom pieces
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 small onion

Combine canned green beans with 1 can of mushrooms and onion slices. Place in crock pot sprayed with cooking spray. Mix cream of mushroom soup, fat free milk, worcestershire sauce, black pepper and other can of mushrooms in separate bowl. Cover green beans with sauce. Do not stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Corn Custard Pudding Casserole

I made this recipe from my SIL for corn custard pudding casserole as a side dish with our pine nut chicken and sauteed broccoli. We all love corn and I've always wondered what corn pudding tastes like. So when I saw her post last week, I wanted to try it. It was so good! I used some of the corn I froze this summer from Eichelberg's. It made it extra sweet - so yummy! It was almost like dessert, the corn was so sweet, plus having the sugar in there. Definitely a keeper and something I'll make often, I think. Just wish it didn't take so long to cook.

Corn Custard Pudding Casserole

1 pkg. frozen corn, cooked until separated (this refers to a home-frozen pkg...maybe 2 cups or so?, I never cook it. I just let it thaw a bit)
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1 egg, beaten

Beat egg in bowl. Add corn, milk, butter, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to combine well. Pour into greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole. Place in a pan of hot water. Bake for 1 1/4 hours at 350, until set. (I didn't use the pan of hot water and it was fine.)

Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd's Pie

After thinking we wouldn't end up with any Thanksgiving leftovers this year, we actually ended up with a lot of them. We brought home all of the remaining turkey (enough to make this and fill three freezer containers!), mashed potatoes, and corn that the rest of my family didn't want and we had a ton of roasted veggies (brussels sprouts, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, cauliflower) leftover from dinner at Kevin's mom's house. So I decided to make a shepherd's pie. I made an Emeril recipe for shepherd's pie using Thanksgiving leftovers last year. I was tempted to just do the same thing this year, but decided to make it super simple and just use a pint of my homemade and home-canned cream of mushroom soup. This was very good - all three of us really liked it. Carson ate two helpings and Kevin just wants me to make another one tonight using the rest of the leftover roasted veggies and corn. I didn't follow a recipe, just used what I had.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd's Pie

1 pint cream of mushroom soup
leftover veggies (I used corn and roasted carrots/sweet potatoes/brussels/cauliflower)
leftover mashed potatoes
leftover turkey
shredded cheese

Use whatever quantities of each to your liking. I used way more veggies than meat... I probably only used about 1 cup of chopped turkey, the rest was all veggies. Mix your soup into the veggies and meat in a 9x9 glass casserole dish. Spread out evenly. Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Chicken Divan

My family makes a super simple, super yummy version of chicken divan. Its pretty much a staple in all of our menus. I make it quite often, though I realize I've never posted the recipe. This is one of the first chicken dishes that my then-vegetarian roommate in college tried and liked... and eventually led to her becoming a meat eater. :) I often put it all together and freeze it to bake later. It also freezes and thaws very well if you want to freeze after cooking, too. You can make this to suit your tastes, its very versatile. I generally use broccoli and cauliflower as my veggies, but I've made it with green beans, corn, and carrots, at different times, too. Broccoli and cauliflower are my favorites, but I also like it with green beans and then I use a cream of mushroom soup and it tastes like a green bean casserole on the bottom.

Chicken Divan

frozen veggies (broccoli and cauliflower are my favorites to use, but you can use anything you like)
cream of whatever soup (use your favorite... cream of celery is my favorite to use with this)
shredded cheese
boneless skinless chicken breasts
bread or cracker crumbs (optional)

Adjust the quantities depending on the size of your pan. If I don't want many leftovers, I generally use a 9x9 square glass baking dish. For that, I use the equivalent to one of the 16 oz bags of frozen veggies, 1 can of soup, maybe 1/2-1 cup of cheese, and three or four chicken breasts, depending on their size.

Pour your frozen veggies into the bottom of your pan. Open up your soup and spread it over top of the veggies. Sprinkle cheese on top of the soup. Place chicken breasts on top of the cheese. You can sprinkle with bread or cracker crumbs if you want... I don't generally do that, though. Cover with aluminum foil. Then just bake it in a 350 degree oven. You can bake it all frozen (even the chicken), but that takes about an hour and a half, probably. If the chicken is thawed, then I think I probably bake it for about 40-45 minutes, maybe. I just keep an eye on it till it looks done. You'll want to remove the foil during the last 15-20 minutes or so.

Mac anc Cheese with Tomato and Squash

Over the weekend, I saw one of Paula Deen's shows featuring a tomato mac and cheese recipe. I've been wanting to try adding pureed fall squash to macaroni and cheese for awhile now, so I figured I'd give it a try on Monday. I don't generally make many of Paula's recipes, even though they're always delicious, but they're also so full of fat/butter. But I figured we could splurge and try out her recipe for tomato mac and cheese. I pretty much used her recipe as written and just mixed in about a cup and a half of pureed buttercup squash from my garden. You could use frozen, too. This was very good and I felt a little better about eating it with some veggies incorporated. You really could not taste the squash at all - Kevin actually ate squash and didn't have a clue!! :) And I only had one tomato left, so there's not a lot of tomato on top - I wish I had had another one to use. Its definitely a keeper, but not something I'll make often just for the fat issue. :)

Tomato Mac and Cheese with Squash

4 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dish
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I used organic whole wheat cavatappi)
2 tablespoons minced onion
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
3/4 tablespoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 cups milk
(I added 1 1/2 cups pureed fall squash)
3 cups shredded Cheddar, divided (I only used about 2 cups)
2 ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (I only had 1)
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

Bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring constantly, until tender. Add the flour, salt, dry mustard, and paprika; mix well. Stir in the milk and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. (Add pureed squash here.) Add 2 cups of the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Toss in the macaroni and pour into the prepared dish. Cover the macaroni with tomato slices and season salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The last few minutes, top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven until the cheese melts. (I didn't think this step was necessary, so I skipped it.) Serve hot.