Jalapeno Popper Cauliflower Casserole - low carb and gluten free

Found another interesting recipe on Pinterst today.

http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2013/08/jalapeno-popper-cauliflower-casserole-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html

Jalapeno Popper Cauliflower Casserole (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: generous 1/2 cup

A low carb cauliflower recipe inspired by the jalapeno popper! Kid friendly, this is a recipe the whole family will love! Serve as a side, or with a salad for a main dish!

Ingredients

• For the puree:
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 Tbsp raw jalapenos, chopped
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
For the cream cheese layer:
• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup salsa verde
For the topping:
• 3/4 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup raw jalapenos, sliced (seeds removed)

Instructions

• For the puree:
• Clean and trim the cauliflower, breaking it into medium sized pieces. Place in a microwave safe bowl with 2 Tbsp of cream and 1 Tbsp of butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 10 minutes. Stir to coat cauliflower with cream/butter mixture. Microwave for another six – eight minutes on high (or until cauliflower is tender). Remove from the microwave and put into a high speed blender or food processor along with the cheese, jalapenos, and garlic powder. Puree until smooth (or you can leave it chunky if you prefer. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste.
For the cream cheese layer:
• Put the cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and nuke for 30 seconds to soften. Add the shredded cheese and salsa verde, mixing thoroughly. It should be very spreadable – if not, nuke for a few more seconds.
To assemble the casserole:
• In a medium-sized oven proof dish (approximately 8 x 8), spread out a thick layer of cauliflower puree. Spread the warm cream cheese mixture on top of the puree. Top with a layer of shredded colby jack cheese, and sliced jalapenos. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted. You can finish it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown further if you’d like. Alternatively, microwave on high for about 6 – 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through. Serve hot.
• Optional – top with cooked, crumbled bacon before serving.

Notes

Approximate nutrition info per serving: 336 calories, 29g fat, 3.8g net carbs, 13g protein

Moroccan Roasted Garlic Psesto and Cashew Pizza

This looked and sounded good to me.  Might have to make it sometime.

If you want to read it from the blog I found it on go to:


http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/moroccan-roasted-garlic-pesto-and-cashew-pizza/

Moroccan Roasted Garlic Pesto and Cashew Pizza

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: Dough recipe makes 2 (12 inch) pizzas, Pesto and topping for 1 pizza

Ingredients

• 1 pound of your favorite pizza dough
Moroccan Roasted Garlic Pesto
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, torn
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, torn
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, torn
• 1/2 a jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoon chashews or pistachios
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoon feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Toppings
• 1 small Zucchini, sliced into thin rounds (or half of a large)
• 1 roasted red pepper, sliced thin strips (or half of a large)
• 1 (4 ounce) jar marinated artichokes
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (use less for less heat)
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/3 cup kalamata olives (or a mix of green + kalamata)
• 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbed
• 1/4 cup roasted chashews

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough 1 1/2 to 2 hours ahead of time. While the dough rises roast the garlic and make the pesto.
2. Preheat oven to 375. Chop off the top portion of the garlic head to reveal cloves. Peel any excess paper/skin off from the bulb of garlic. Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil on top the garlic cloves and cover with foil and roast in a baking dish for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Allow to cool and then squeeze garlic out of the paper skin into a small bowl, set aside.
3. Place the cilantro, parsley, mint, jalapeño, garlic and cashews in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until well chopped. Stream in the olive oil and pulse until combined. Add the feta and pulse a few more times or until combined.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
5. In a large bowl add the zucchini, pepper and drained artichokes. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, the smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, turmeric, and a pinch of pepper. Toss really well making sure the spices are evenly coating the veggies and there are no clumps. Set aside.
6. Once the pizza dough is ready to go, divide the dough in half. Place half the dough aside for another use (or make 2 pizzas) or freeze for later. With the remaining dough roll/press into one 10 to 12 inch round circle or rectangle (you may go smaller or larger depending on how thick you want your crust). Top with as much of the pesto as desired and then sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese. Add the veggies in an even layer. Then sprinkle on the olives and half the feta cheese.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes or until your desired doneness. You may also cook this pizza on a pizza stone or using the skillet method , but I recommend cooking the veggies before hand.
8. Let the pizza sit five minutes and then sprinkle with the roasted cashews and the remaining feta. Cut and serve!

Low Carb Zucchini Oven Chips

I saw this posted on facebook and thought it sounded very good.  I might make them some day.

Low Carb Zucchini Oven Chips!! Better then Potato Chips ANY DAY!!

Minutes to Prepare: 10
Minutes to Cook: 30
Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 t seasoned salt
1/4 t garlic powder
1/8 t black pepper
2 T fat-free milk


2 1/2 cups (1/4 inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 small)
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 425.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in dry mixture. Place coated slices on an oven proof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Number of Servings: 4

Cheesy Squash Casserole

I was on Starwood Quilter's blog and saw this recipe.  It sure sounds good.  Go and check it out.  Starwood Quilter also is where I join in on a monthly bookclub.  I'll write more about that on my quilting blog page though.  Perhaps tomorrow.

http://www.starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2013/07/corn-and-beans-quilt-block-and-buying.html

Cheesy Squash Casserole

2 pounds yellow squash
1 tablespoon dried onion
4 tablespoons butter
½ cup milk
1 cup cracker crumbs
1-1/2 cups grated cheese
2 slightly beaten eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
 
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Cut squash in ½ slices and cook in a 3-quart saucepan in a small amount of water just until tender.
3.  Pour off water and mash.
4.  Add remaining ingredients and combine thoroughly.
5.  Put in greased 1-1/2 quart casserole, top with additional cracker crumbs and dot with little bits of butter.
6.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbling.

No Dough Pizza

From my facebook group:

No Dough Pizza

Crust

1 (8 oz) package of full fat cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Topping

1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

toppings

pepperoni,
ham,
sausage,
mushrooms,
peppers
Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly spay a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. With a handheld mixer, mix cream cheese, eggs, pepper, garlic powder and parmesan cheese until combined. Spread into baking dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes, our until golden brown. Allow crust to cool for 10 minutes.
Spread pizza sauce on crust. Top with cheese and toppings. Sprinkle pizza with garlic powder.

Bake 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Enchilada Pie

Ready for another recipe?  This looks like it would be yummy.  To read more about it, go to Linda's Low Carb Menu since it is her recipe.

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/enchilada_pie.html


ENCHILADA PIE
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1/4 ounce crushed tortilla chips *
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
3 eggs
1/2 cup Red Enchilada Sauce
Brown the ground beef with the onion and taco seasoning; drain the grease. Stir in the crushed tortilla chips. Place the meat in a greased 10-inch pie plate. Top with half of the cheese. Beat the eggs and enchilada sauce; pour over the cheese and spread it evenly. Bake at 350� 30 minutes or until the quiche is firm in the center. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese; bake 5 more minutes until the cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving otherwise the quiche will be too soft to remove from the pan.
Makes 6 servings
* 1/4 ounce is about 4-5 small round tortilla chips. I used the unflavored white corn kind. They only add about 4 carbs to the whole recipe.
Per Serving: 343 Calories; 25g Fat; 25g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

Moroccan Eggplant Hash

How bad can it be?  It's HASH!  It has EGGPLANT!  I mean you know this has to be good?  We can hope.  LOL.  I got it off a website (djfoodie.com) so here it is.  I think I might try it some day.

If you want to go directly to the site go to:

http://www.djfoodie.com/aspx/m/Moroccan-Eggplant

If not, here is what he had to say about it:

There are two keys to this dish. Cutting the vegetables so that they're all roughly ... approximately ... the same size. A nice 1/4-inch dice on everything is perfect, but if you go a little larger, that's ok. Just make sure the other veggies match! Cook the veggies in a hot pan, over high heat. Add them, let them sit for a moment (no touching!) and then toss them and let them sit, again. Etc. Here's a video that somewhat shows what I'm talking about. Notice how he adds things in stages, first with the veggies and later with the nuts? This recipe has 3 stages. Also, notice how he's not afraid to leave th pan alone for two minutes at a time? This allows the veggies to sustain contact with the bottom of the pan and pick up color (the surface caramelizes). Constantly moving things around just cools it all down and steams things. Find a good blend of the two techniques. Also, kudos to the Un-Gluten Guy for making a really fun little video! Eggplant Note: It helps to salt your eggplant before continuing with this dish. When starting this recipe, peel your eggplant and dice it into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes. Then, season them with a good amount of salt. More than you're probably comfortable with (don't worry, we'll use a bit less later on). Place the salted eggplant in a strainer or colander over a bowl, or in the sink. Let it drain while you cut the rest of the veggies. Be aware not all eggplant are created equal. The salt will pull a lot of water from some and virtually none from others. In all cases, it does help diminish the slight bitter quality that some find in eggplant. Prep: 15 min Cook: 15 mins Total: 30 min Servings: 8

Ingredients	Calories	Fat	Protein	Carbs	Fiber	SA's	Net Carbs
2 tbsp (28g)  light oil (coconut oil, olive or ghee for non-vegans)	240	24	0	0	0	0	0
1 large (548g)  globe eggplant, peeled, cubed and salted	110	1	5	26	16	0	10
2 small (148g)  red bell peppers, peeled, seeded and cubed	45.88	0	1.48	8.88	2.96	0	5.92
1 medium (110g)  red onion, diced	44	0	1	10	2	0	8
4 each (12g)  garlic cloves, minced	16	0	0	4	0	0	4
1/4 cup (36.25g)  slivered almonds, toasted	210.5	18.25	8	7.25	3.75	0	3.5
1/2 cup (55g)  sun-dried tomatoes in oil, oil drained off and diced	117	7.5	3	13	3	0	10
1/4 cup (22g)  fresh mint leaves, whole	9.68	.22	.66	1.76	1.54	0	0.22
1/2 tsp (1g)  cinnamon, ground	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1/2 tsp (1g)  coriander seed, ground	2.98	.18	.12	.55	.42	0	0.13
1/4 tsp (.5g)  cayenne pepper, powdered	2.81	.08	.12	.51	.22	0	0.29
salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals:	798.85	51.23g	19.38g	71.95g	29.89g	0g	42.06g
Per Serving:	99.86	6.4g	2.42g	8.99g	3.74g	0g	5.26g *

Method:

1. Pre-heat a really large sauté pan or wok over high heat. Add your oil and swirl it around to coat the pan. Quickly add your eggplant and peppers. If you salted your eggplant, just add a little pepper, otherwise season with both salt and pepper. Toss the veggies in the pan to coat with the oil, then allow them to sit in the pan and sear for about 1 minute. Make sure they are evenly spread on the bottom of the pan and not piled up in one part. Toss them and spread them out to sear for another minute. If they are not picking up any color from the pan, you're either tossing too early, or the heat is too low. The pieces should be essentially "frying" in the oil.
2. After a total of 2 to 3 minutes, add your onions and garlic, then toss the ingredients together and allow them sit for about 2 more minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper and then toss and spread and then allow the veggies to sear for another minute or two.
3. Add your almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mint leaves. Toss the ingredients to mix well. You're really just heating up the new ingredients. They don't need any further cooking.
4. Taste your hash. If it needs a little more salt and pepper, add it. Finally, dust your ingredients with your spices, toss to mix everything together, one last time and serve!
5. Serve!