Sunday Cooking to Knit/Veg Out By - Super Bowl Sunday - What? You Were Expecting Chili?

Su-PRISE! It's Super Bowl Sunday and I am NOT positing a chili recipe, for ships' sake!

Yes. I know. I am bucking the tides of time that no MAN would ever divert from lol.
But this is easy. I promise.
And it's a casserole.
And it's even low carb.
But it does have one semi-unusual ingredient - Daikon - a mild, white radish.
You see it on sushi, sometimes.
It's also is used in Korean-style kimchi.
Looks like this:

You can sub out white radishes for it, if your green grocer has them.

Here it is:

Zippy Chicken/Baco-Broccoli Bake

2 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 cups raw, diced broccoli tops and stems
1 cup cooked, roughly crumbled bacon
2 cups peeled, cubed, raw daikon or mild white radish

4 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tsp dry mustard
2 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (or your favorite zippy kind of cheese)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

Cut radish into ½” cubes, add to the pot.

Boil 20 minutes or until slightly softened. Drain.

To make the cheesy sauce, heat butter in a sauce pan on medium heat until melted. 

Add salt, pepper, mustard and half and half. 

Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, for one minute. Remove from heat. 

Add cheeses. Stir until melted.

In a casserole dish, combine cheesy chicken sauce, radishes, bacon and broccoli. 

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees - 20 minutes or till heated through.

You could probably serve over white rice, or maybe even experiment with adding the rice to the casserole…. hmmmm. I haven't tried that yet. Or……. think outside the boxes, maybe try it as a chunky dip??? Experiment! Have fun with it!

Makes 8 servings.

Enjoy the game!
Or at least pretend to, while you are getting in SCADS of Real Official LEGITIMATE knitting time!
YAY!









Have a Good One. :)
And be safe out there - drink responsibly!

South-of-the-Border Sunday - Mexican Lasagna/Tortilla Casserole: Cooking to Knit/Veg Out By

Arriba, Arrriba! Hola, knitters and veggers!

This Sunday's menu is brought to you by my love of South-of-the-Border food.
Once you see how fast this comes together and how good it tastes, you will be saying "Arriba!", too! By the way, did you know that the word arriba in spanish is a nautical term meaning aloft or on the shore (according to whichever dictionary source you use)? Who knew? :)

This recipe is written to be a lower-fat recipe, but feel free to amp up the protein to the higher-fat version if it pleases you. I love this recipe because it's easy, it's pretty quick to prepare and once it's in the oven, you only need to add a salad to make it a complete meal. Best of all, even kids like this (and it has b-e-a-n-s in it! You could just as easily make a small casserole without beans, if that particular protein won't fly in your household).

Without further ado, I bring you Mexican Lasagna/Tortilla Casserole!


Mexican Lasagna/Tortilla Casserole
Makes 6 servings

1 lb. ground chuck or sirloin
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup red or green pepper, chopped
6 light flour or regular corn tortillas or more to layer with (I use corn because we are a gluten-free family)
1-2 cups salsa (or however much you need to use in layers of the casserole)
6 oz. lower-fat cheddar cheese, grated or mix of monterey jack and cheddar
1/2 cup lower-fat sour cream

450 degree oven

Cook beef and onion.
Stir in beans and peppers.
Grease round 2 qt. or oblong baking dish.
Place 1 tortilla and 2 halves in the bottom (for oblong dish to cover with tortillas).
Layer 3 Tbs. salsa, then 1/3 beef/bean mixture, then 1/3 cheese. Repeat.
Last layer top with remaining tortillas then salsa then sour cream then beef/bean then cheese.

Bake 10 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Serves like Lasagna.
Enjoy!

Have a Spicy One.  :)