Green Bean Casserole - Low Carb, Gluten-Free

GBC is one of my favorite side dishes. Heck, I could just eat it as my meal and be happy. I never liked the mushrooms that came along in the cream of mushroom soup, though. Between wanting to avoid both mushrooms and canned cream-of-anything soup, I started making my own GBC from scratch a few years ago. The first time was for Thanksgiving, and I successfully made a GBC that was totally gluten-free. But this year I wanted it to also be low-carb. It wasn't hard at all and I am so happy with how it turned out.

Green Bean Casserole

First, prepare the onions:

3 medium or 2 large Onions, sliced thinly
1/3 cup Almond Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Refined Coconut Oil (soft or liquid)

Combine all ingredients and spread in a baking dish. Bake at 475 for about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice during baking so they cook evenly. Set aside when done.

Next, prepare the green beans:

Steam 1-1.5 lbs green beans until just tender, then rinse with cold water to stop them cooking.

Make up the creamy sauce:

3 T Butter
3 T Oat Fiber
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Stock or Broth (chicken, beef, vegetable)
1 tsp Glucomannan, Xanthan Gum, or half of each
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

Melt butter on medium-heat. (At this point, if you are a mushroom person, you could add chopped mushrooms and saute them in the butter until done.) Add oat fiber. Add cream and broth, whisking quickly. Sprinkle gum/gluccie very slowly, whisking well to incorporate it. Let it come to a bubble and it'll thicken up. Add garlic, salt and pepper, whisk for a minute more, then remove from heat.

Combine the green beans with the cream sauce, and add half of the onions. Spread into a 13x9 pan. Top with remaining onions. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes and serve.

http://www.myhcgcooking.com

Spaghetti Squash in the Instant Pot

I love hard squash, but cooking them always required some planning since they take a good 45 minutes baking in the oven. The Instant Pot makes this job so quick and easy!

Spaghetti Squash cooked in the Instant Pot

1. Place rack in instant pot and add a cup of water.

2. Cut squash in half and remove seeds. I have heard of people skipping this step and just cooking it whole, but I would rather deal with the "squash guts" raw than cooked and even more slimy, so I remove them first. My chickens love them. :D

3. Place the halves in the Instant Pot. I am able to fit two small squash in my 6-quart pot! Close the lid and close the seal.

4. Press the "manual" button and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes, then release the pressure.

5. Scrape out the squash with a fork. If you prefer your squash to be softer, you can cook another minute but I like it to be more firm and not mushy.

I love to eat this with marinara sauce, or sauteed with butter and garlic. I also make the Loaded Spaghetti Squash Casserole from the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and it is amazing.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes - delicious and simple, but kind of a pain to make. How many times have I burned my fingers trying to remove hot potatoes from hot water? Then there's the variability of cooking time - you want them done but not TOO done, and then you don't want them to sit in that water and end up with pasty mashed potatoes. It can be a bit stressful.

No more of that! Using the Instant Pot makes it so easy. Cooking the potatoes in the instant pot with the milk makes it so simple, and there's nothing to drain! I hope to never boil potatoes for mashing again.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

4lbs Potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1/2 cup Milk (I used Buttermilk)
1/2 tsp Salt (to taste)
1 tsp Pepper

Toss the peeled, quartered potatoes into the instant pot. Add milk, salt and pepper. Close the lid, turn the seal so it's closed, and push the Manual button and adjust the time down to 10 minutes. When it's done, release the pressure. Add butter to taste, and mash with a potato masher right in the pot. Done!

If you prefer to whip your potatoes, you can still keep this a one-pot dish and use your hand mixer right in the instant pot insert. :)

Potato Salad

Mmm potatoes. When did white potatoes become a treat? This potato salad is a classic and we indulge in it occasionally. Something about grilling burgers just begs for potato salad. Adding lots of veggies and subbing some of the mayo with yogurt seems worth doing to make it slightly healthier.

Potato Salad

8 medium White or Gold Potatoes
1/2 sweet white or red Onion, diced
1 Bell Pepper, diced
3-4 Celery Stalks, chopped
6 Hardboiled Eggs, chopped

Dressing:
3/4 cup Mayo
3/4 cup Plain Yogurt
1 Tbsp Mustard
1/2 cup chopped Pickles or Relish, optional
3/4 tsp Salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp Pepper (to taste)

Cut potatoes into quarters and place in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until they break apart when pierced with a fork. Drain and allow to cool, then chop roughly.

In a large bowl, mix dressing ingredients, then add the veggies and chopped cooked potatoes. Stir well to combine. Chill salad for several hours if you can (or overnight) to allow the flavors to blend well. Serve cold.

Italian Brussels Sprouts

I heard about doing this years ago and it's been a favorite ever since I first tried it. I never make it much, since I'm the only one in my family who likes brussels sprouts, but since my parents live close by now and we share a lot of meals together, I make it more often. They love it too.

Italian Brussels Sprouts

Steam brussels sprouts until they are tender but not mushy. You can use fresh or frozen brussels sprouts.

When done, toss in italian dressing and parmesan cheese. Easy!

Cauliflower "Rice" (Low Carb Alternative)

This is such a good alternative to rice! I love it with stir-fry and don't even miss my once-beloved white rice when I have that meal.

Grate or finely chop a whole head of cauliflower - a food processor comes in very handy for this job, but you can also use a manual grater.

Saute for 4-5 minutes in a wok with a bit of olive oil and garlic. Serve.

Layered Mexican Dip

 
This is our favorite GAMEDAY food!

Mexican Taco Layer Dip

1lb ground beef
Taco seasoning (use a packet or make up your own with cumin, chili powder, etc.)

Beans, optional - Black Beans, Refried Beans, whatever beans you like, or skip them

2 cups Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt or a combination
Taco seasoning (one packet's worth)

Tomatoes, diced and/or Salsa
Lettuce, shredded
Cheese, shredded (cheddar, monterey jack, colby/jack mix, whatever you like)

Green Onions, optional

Brown ground beef. Drain, add 1/4-1/2 cup of water and the taco seasoning. Stir well and let thicken. If using black beans, you can mix them in.

Mix taco seasoning with sour cream or yogurt. Spread into the bottom of a 13x9 inch casserole.

If using refried beans, you can add them here.

Layer on the ground beef, and then the tomatoes, lettuce, cheese and green onion. Add olives if you like. Anything goes!

Refrigerate if not eating right away. Serve with chips, or on a salad.

Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad

This salad goes perfectly with Jamaican Jerk Chicken.  It's cold and refreshing, colorful and not unhealthy. And it tastes amazing!

Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad

2 white or yellow Potato, peeled and quartered
2 Sweet Potato, peeled and quartered
1 cup Corn (thaw if frozen)
2 Cucumbers, chopped
1 Red Onion, diced
1 Red, Orange or Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped

Dressing:
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
4 Tbsp Lime Juice
6 Tbsp fresh Cilantro, chopped
2-3 clove Garlic, minced
6 Tbsp Olive Oil
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Cook white potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes, then add sweet potatoes and cook 15 min more. When they are cooked, let cool and chop.

In large bowl, combine dressing ingredients and then add veggies, stirring to coat. Chill for an hour if you can so the flavors can meld. Serve.

Creamy Coleslaw

We aren't big coleslaw fans but occasionally a restaurant will have some that I just LOVE.  This is my first attempt to recreate one of those. This was really good, and next I'll be making it even more tropical. Check back for that!

Creamy Coleslaw

3 Tbsp Mayo
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
8-10 drops Liquid Stevia or some other sweetener if you like
1/4 tsp Celery Salt
1/2 - 1 tsp Poppy Seeds
1 small can Mandarin Oranges, chopped
1 large head Cabbage, shredded

Mix all ingredients except cabbage together, and then toss with cabbage.  I recommend starting with half of the dressing, and then adding and mixing, so you don't end up with too much dressing.

Sesame Green Beans

I haven't been to a Chinese Buffet in years but my favorite thing to get was always the green beans.  They were crisp with a teriyaki kind of sauce and sesame seeds.  Yum.  I set out to make my own and this is the recipe I settled on.

Sesame Green Beans

1 lb  fresh Green Beans, trimmed

2 Tbsp Sesame Oil (the flavor of the oil really makes the recipe, IMO, but you can use other oil)

1-2 Tbsp Bragg's or Tamari or Soy Sauce

1-3 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

Steam the green beans for a few minutes to start them cooking but you still want them to be crisp.  Then stir fry in sesame oil 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat, toss in Bragg's (or alternative) and sesame seeds.  Serve.

This is the full meal we usually have: Bulgogi, Sesame Green Beans and Jasmine Rice

Kale and Carmelized Onions

I'm not usually a huge fan of cooked greens.  I can handle a little raw kale in a salad if there is enough other lettuce and dressing.  I like dehydrated kale chips, but so far that has been the extent of my enjoyment of this particular green.  Until now.  This recipe is so.good.

Kale and Carmelized Onions

Thinly slice a sweet onion and cook with olive oil on medium heat until it starts to brown.  Add a drizzle of honey and chopped kale.  Cook until kale is done, about 5-10 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt to taste and serve.