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.

Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot

I recently did a month-long "pantry challenge" where I challenged myself to try to use as much as I could from the freezer and pantry, minimizing trips to the grocery store and then only for fresh produce as needed.

Following that rule, I made vegetable soup! It was so easy and we made grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it. By cooking in the Instant Pot, it tastes like it cooked all day but really it only took 45 minutes from start to finish.

If you don't already have an Instant Pot, you can use a regular slow cooker or just make it on the stove and let it simmer a while. But really, you should get an Instant Pot. ;)

Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 stalks Celery, diced
3 Carrots, sliced
2-3 cups of Vegetables (I used green beans and corn since I had them on hand, plus some shredded zucchini I found in the fridge. I add peas if I have them, and sometimes diced potatoes if I'm not worried about carbs)
2 cans Diced Tomatoes
2 cups Stock (I used chicken stock from the freezer, but would use water if I needed to make it vegetarian)
2 cans V-8 Juice
Herbs and Spices such as Oregano, Basil, Marjoram, Parsley, Thyme, Bay Leaf  (I added all of these, probably a tablespoon of the first 4 and a teaspoon of thyme, plus 1 bay leaf)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Push the Saute button on the Instant Pot, and saute the onion, garlic, celery and carrots in olive oil for a few minutes until the onions are tender.

Turn the IP off and add the rest of the ingredients. Give it a stir, place the lid, turn the valve to "sealed" and push the Soup button. Mine automatically set for 30 minutes and I thought that sounded good. Dinner is done!

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. :)

Spinach Ricotta Bites

I found this recipe on Weelicious YEARS ago and I still make it regularly. It's one of my favorite breakfasts and snacks. My daughter will eat them too, which is a huge win. I get 24 minis but you can also make it in a regular muffin tin and have larger servings, just adjust cooking time accordingly.

Spinach Ricotta Bites

2 Tbsp Butter
1 Small Yellow Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 Large Eggs, Beaten
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1 10 Oz Pkg Frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted and drained, or you can cook fresh spinach in with the butter and onions and then drain it
1/4 Tsp Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes until tender.
3. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute then set aside to cool.
4. Whisk eggs in a bowl and stir in ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
5. Once combined, stir in spinach, salt and cooled onion and garlic mixture.
6. Pour the mixture into lightly greased mini muffin cups.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set and golden on top.
8. Serve.

Lasagna Roll-ups

Lasagna is such a crowd pleaser. It's a lot easier to make a huge pan of lasagna with the Oven-Ready noodles, or fixing a Crock-Pot full of lasagna, so if you are feeding a big family, I recommend going one of those routes.

But if you want to have smaller portions available, for just 1 or 2 dinners or even lunches, these are fantastic. They are a little more work on the front end, but the convenience of the portions is worth it. Plus you are guaranteed to get the right proportion of noodles and cheese, which is really important to me. I don't like noodle hogs leaving me with too much ricotta. ;)

This is also a fantastic dish to make ahead and freeze. See directions below!  The pictures below show a double batch of roll-ups.

Lasagna Roll-ups

Ingredient List for a single batch:

1 box regular Lasagna Noodles

24 oz (1.5 lbs) Ricotta Cheese 

2 Eggs

3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

3/4 cup Mozarella Cheese, shredded

1 Tbsp Basil

1 Tbsp Parsley

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

Marinara Sauce - you can use jars of sauce, or make it from scratch. Here is my "super easy" recipe that starts with a pizza sauce base. I have been adding lots of veggies to it lately though (diced onion, bell pepper, shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, etc.)

Step 1. Boil Lasagna Noodles according to package directions. I use my giant stock pot for this job, so the noodles have plenty of room to move around in the boiling water. If you are using a regular pot, you may need to cook the noodles in smaller batches. I was able to cook 20 noodles (the whole box) in my big 12 qt stock pot.

While the noodles are cooking, lay out aluminum foil and give it a quick spray with oil to keep the noodles from sticking to it. When the noodles are done, lay them out on the foil. Be careful, they will be hot!

Step 2: Combine all filling ingredients. I use my Kitchenaid Mixer for this. Spread filling over each noodle. 

Step 3: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll up the noodles and place them seam-side down on the tray. It's ok if they are close but you don't want them to be touching. Freeze.

Step 4: Once frozen, package the rollups into freezer bags. I just put them all in one gallon-size ziploc and pull out however many I want to cook at a time. Freeze.

To cook, just put them in your baking dish, top with marinara sauce, and bake at 350° until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Top with mozarella cheese and bake for an extra 5 minutes until melted. You can make 1 or 2 in a small dish, or cook a larger batch for the whole family.

Optional: Put in your family's serving size in a ziploc, add 2 cups of marinara sauce to each bag and freeze. For my family I would put in 6 rollups, since we make 2 for each adult and one for each child. When ready to cook, cut away the bag, put the contents into a baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 350° until bubbly. It will take close to an hour this way. Top with mozzarella and bake an extra 5 minutes, then serve.

Beef Stew (gluten free)

This is one of our favorite meals and everyone in the family loves it! It's easily adaptable for different diets. Feel free to drop or sub different veggies if you are trying to reduce carbs. Some recipes coat the beef in flour before browning, but I skip that part and don't miss it, so this recipe is even gluten-free.

I love to make this in my Instant Pot. It cooks so fast yet tastes like it simmered all day.

Beef Stew

1 lb Beef Stew Meat (any roast cut into chunks is fine)
2 Tbsp Oil of your choice (I use refined coconut oil or olive oil, veg or canola is fine if you use those)
1 Onion, diced
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cups Beef Broth (or water)
1-2 cans Diced Tomatoes
1 quart V8 Vegetable Juice
3 cups Veggies, fresh or frozen. Classic options would be Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Green Beans, Peas, and Corn. Alternative options could be Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes, or Rutabagas.
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Marjoram
1 Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instant Pot directions: 

Push the "Saute" button and brown all sides of the beef in the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and close the pot. Make sure the valve is closed for pressure. Push the "Meat/Stew" button and let the Instant Pot do all the work for you!

For Stovetop Cooking:

Heat oil on medium and brown meat on all sides. Add onions and saute until they soften. Add beef broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze it, and let simmer while you prepare the veggies.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. The meat will get more tender as it simmers so it's nice if you can let it cook for at least half an hour or longer. Taste it for any needed salt. Depending on your V8 and Beef Broth, you may need to add some. Enjoy!

This can be made in the crock pot, but I recommend not skipping the first section where you brown the beef and cook the onions with it. After that point, when you add the veggies and herbs, you can throw it all into the crock pot on low for several hours. It also freezes really well. Sometimes I will get a bulk amount of stew beef and make a large batch of Beef Stew to freeze.

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.

Barbacoa Salad

Leftover barbacoa is delicious on a salad! Like a taco salad only with a different flavor. Love it!

Barbacoa-style Shredded Beef

Start with a chuck roast. Anywhere between 2-4 lbs is fine. I usually go for bigger because I like leftovers to make more meals. Cut it in half and trim most of the visible fat. Place in slow cooker or instant pot.

In food processor or vitamix, puree the following:

1/2 Onion
1/4 cup Lime Juice

1/4 cup Tomato Paste
4 cloves Garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Cloves or Allspice

Pour the puree over the roast in the slow cooker. Pour about a cup of Beef Broth on top, and drop a few Bay Leaves.

Cook on low for 7 hours. When it's done, shred it with two forks and put it back into the amazing sauce in the slow cooker that was created during cooking. Keep on low for another couple of hours to really soak up the flavor of the sauce. 

Here is my husband's version of the barbacoa salad, all neatly organized. I just throw mine in the bowl. Ha.

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!

Oven Fried Butternut Slices

My friend Rebecca from The Consciously Parenting Project introduced me to this idea some years ago. I think she was using sweet potatoes but I have always used butternut squash and love it. The best part is that you don't have to peel the squash. If you've ever peeled a butternut, you know that this is a big deal and makes this recipe very appealing. Heh.

Oven Fried Butternut Slices

Preheat oven to 400.

Slice butternut squash very thinly. Arrange pieces on a baking stone so they overlap a little but are mostly visible. You may need a couple of pans if you have a large squash.

Spread bits of butter over the squash so there is a little on each one. They don't have to all be covered, as it will melt.

Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the slices are golden brown, or even a little darker on the edges. Those are the best parts! Enjoy!

Roasted Root Vegetables

This is one of those dishes I love to make when it's chilly outside. It's so delicious and warm and filling, and goes great with some Crock Pot Chicken.

Preheat oven to 400*. Prepare a large baking pan - I like to use the Large Bar Pan from Pampered Chef.

Gather your veggies! You can do any/all that you like. This batch has:

Sweet Onion
Carrots
White Potatoes
Purple Sweet Potatoes
Rutabaga

Quarter the big veggies (onions, potatoes) and chop the carrots into pieces a few inches long.

Toss veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Pour onto baking pan and bake for about 45 minutes, stirring a time or two during cooking. 

Chicken Fajita

Meals like this remind me that I don't have to have a tortilla to enjoy Mexican food. It's delicious and satisfying, and best of all low-carb! Plus if the rest of your family insists on the traditional meal, they can use the same filling in a tortilla, so you can avoid the carbs for yourself without having to make two different meals. Score!

Chicken Fajita

Cooked Chicken - I just boil some chicken breast until done, then shred or chop.  You can also use leftover chicken if you happen to have cooked extra.


Tomatoes or salsa
Cheese, optional
Sour Cream, optional

Veggies of choice:
Onion, sliced or chopped
Bell Pepper, sliced or chopped

You can also use zucchini or squash if you like. Anything goes!

Mix cooked chicken with fajita seasoning of your choice, or just some garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder.

Saute veggies in butter or olive oil until done, about 15 minutes.

Top shredded chicken with sauteed veggies, chopped tomatoes or salsa, and cheese if desired. Serve!

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.

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.

The Most Amazing Salad Ever

O.M.G. I just had the best salad of my life. I'm not generally a huge salad fan. I like a diverse salad bar and a yummy dressing, but I don't rave over salads.

Granted, this is my first meal off of a 4-day juice fast, but the other people I shared this salad with also said it was the best salad they had ever had, so maybe I'm not crazy. Maybe.

The key is prepping lots of veggies to go in, and a yummy homemade dressing. I'll post that soon but for now, here are my pretty salad pics. Homemade ranch is also great to use if you already make that. :)

I just chopped some romaine and added baby spinach, and then each of us put whatever veggies we wanted. Yum!

I highly recommend a Spirooli slicer / spiralizer for veggies like carrots and cucumber. It's great for zucchini too which I would have added if I'd had any.

Spiralized Carrots! Diced Tomatoes!

 

Spiralized Cucumber!

Chopped yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, thinly sliced red onion!

Vegetable Juice Soup

Lots of juicing going on around here! I really miss having a warm dinner when I do a lot of juicing, so this was the perfect way to feel like I had eaten a warm meal, and it was still all juice!

Vegetable Juice Soup

6-7 medium Tomatoes
2 stalks Celery
2-3 cloves Garlic
7-8 Carrots
Slice of Onion

Juice all together and heat just until warm (so it's not cooked to death, killing all the good enzymes from the fresh juice). Add salt and pepper, basil and oregano as desired.

Cooking Dry Beans in Slow Cooker

My 2013 "resolution" (though I hate to call it that) is to be more conscious of spending. Food is easily our biggest expense, since we get a lot of fresh food and organics. One of the big ways I save on our grocery bill  is by cooking dry beans instead of buying cans. I tried it on the stove several times (and several ways) and hated it, but then I discovered using the crock pot is EASY and I can make up a bunch ahead and freeze it. Then when it's time to cook, I just pull a package from the freezer, the same as if I were grabbing a can from the pantry. Remember that unless you add salt to your beans (I don't) you'll need to adjust the seasoning in your recipes.

Add dry beans to slow cooker - mine is a 6-quart and I cook 2lbs at a time.

Fill with water until about an inch from the top. Let sit overnight (or all day). Drain and rinse, then pour back into the slow cooker and fill with water again. You can cook them on low overnight (or all day), or set it high for a while and then to low if you want them to go a little faster.

Drain and rinse, then portion them out and freeze or use right away.

Foil Packet Dinners

Did you ever go camping, maybe in scouts, and make foil dinners that cook on the campfire? We love this meal so much we make it at home, sometimes on the grill and sometimes just baking in the oven.

It's so easy to do, and everyone can have his own packet made just the way he likes. My husband likes bell peppers and corn in his, plus a ton of black pepper. I prefer the basics - green beans, potatoes and carrots with my hamburger patty. The kids don't want any green beans so theirs is customized for them.

Foil Packet Dinners

Meat (if desired) - hamburger patty or chicken tenders or boneless/skinless breast work great
Cut up veggies - diced potatoes, snapped green beans, sliced carrots, chopped onion, frozen corn, etc.
Seasoning - salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, anything you like can go in

Lay out one large sheet of foil for each person. You can make a layer of onions first, or just set the meat right in the middle. Add veggies around meat. Sprinkle with seasoning. Bring up the sides and add just a little bit of water to help steam the veggies, and seal well. Use a sharpie to write the name or initial of each person on the packets.  Grill on indirect heat, or bake at 350* for 45 minutes to an hour.

Check the veggies for doneness and continue to cook until they are fork-tender. Serve! We love to dip our meat and veggies in homemade ranch dressing.

Apple Carrot Celery Juice

My husband got a juicer last year and has been juicing almost daily since he got it. I personally haven't been as into it, mostly because the cleanup factor intimidated me a little bit. The kitchen and dishes are mostly my responsibility already, so one more thing to clean didn't feel worth it. But today I decided to jump in there and make myself some juice with fruits and veggies I had in the fridge, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the cleanup took about 5 minutes and wasn't bad at all. And I feel so good drinking this juice! It's like vitamins are seeping right into my bloodstream as I drink it. Today I made apple carrot juice, with just a little celery because I really do not like celery, but I can't really taste it in the mix as long as I don't add a lot.

Plus, it's bright orange in color, which reminds me of the amazing football game we watched on New Year's Eve, where my Clemson Tigers won the Chick-fil-A bowl. Go Tigers! :) Ha, I just realized it's "ACC Juice" Heh. Doesn't take much to amuse me over here.

Apple Carrot Celery Juice - makes 1 liter of juice

4 medium-large Red Apples
4-5 Carrots
2-3 stalks Celery (or less if you aren't a fan)