A couple of recipes plus one!

Well my friend over at Obesity Help has been at it again (Michelle ~ The world according to eggface). She is a wonderful, compassionate, supportive and helpful. Be sure to check out her blog ~ The World According To Eggface , and follow the progress she has made with gastric bypass surgery.

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So these are her recipes, but my pictures! As Michelle calls it- Food Porn. These casseroles I have blogged about here, are what we will be having for lunch throughout the week. In an effort to curb our food intake, we eat a good, healthy lunch, while having a small serving of Tuna fish or something lite for dinner. For those that don't know, neither Beth nor myself arrive home until 8:00 p.m. So lunch is our big, or smaller than it used to be, meal!

Hope you enjoy!
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Shelly's Shepherd's Pie (without potatoes)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Large Onion, chopped

1 pound Ground Beef (we used 97% ground turkey)

1 Large Carrot, grated

1/2 teaspoon Thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh Parsley

1 clove Garlic, minced

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

Sour Cream Topping:

1 large Egg

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 cup Milk

4 ounces Cream Cheese

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

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Heat oil in skillet and sauté onion till golden. Remove and set aside. Sauté ground beef and cook till no pink is seen. Drain any fats. Add onions back, grated carrot, thyme, garlic, parsley, S&P and soy sauce. Cook for 1 minute. Pour into casserole dish. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg and set aside. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking often, until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened. Lower the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese and ricotta. Salt and pepper to taste. Whisk a spoon of the cheese sauce into the reserved eggs until smooth. Whisk the egg mixture into the cheese sauce in the saucepan. Pour the sauce over the meat in the baking dish. Bake until the top is lightly browned. 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Shelly's Mexican Lasagna

2 whole chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
4 corn tortillas
1 tablespoon Southwest seasoning (cumin, oregano, cayenne)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese + a little for top.
1 - 4 oz. can whole mild green Chiles, seeded and chopped

Sour Cream Sauce

1 small onion, diced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 can chicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter, sauté onion till golden, add flour, and stir well. Add broth, cook till thickened. Stir in sour cream. Set aside. Mix the shredded cooked chicken, mild green chili's, the seasoning and a cup (minus a couple tablespoons) of Mexican shredded cheese together. Layer 2 corn tortillas in the bottom of a 8x6x2 dish. Spoon 1/2 the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas, spoon 1/2 of the sauce. Place another 2 tortilla on top. Then the rest of the chicken and sauce. I finished with a sprinkle of reserved cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes till golden and bubbly.

And for something special for dessert, I came up with a parfait type thingy. I started my base with ricotta cheese, DaVinci Sugar Free Rasberry Syrup, and Splenda sugar substitute ( no measuring, just to taste). Mix these ingredients in a blender until creamy. Pour into parfait glasses and chill. At this point I made some sugar free rasberry Jello. Once all the ingredients were set, I layered them in the glasses with a little granola and topped with Sugar Free Cool Whip and granola!

Grilled Sesame Seed Chicken

We tried a new dish this evening, and WOW was it good! Beth has found a great Low Carb Website with tons of recipes. Tonight we had grilled sesame seed chicken, a very small portion of chicken fried rice, and stir fried veggies. What a meal!

GRILLED SESAME SEED CHICKEN BREASTS

1 tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

2 cl garlic -- minced

1/8 tsp black pepper

4 lg skinless chicken breast

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a one quart 2 pint casserole.Mix well. Rinse chicken in cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Add thechicken to the marinade mixture, turning it to coat. Cover and marinate in therefrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Remove the chicken from the marinade and set themarinade aside. Grill the chicken breasts 4 to 5 inches 100-125mm from medium-hot coals or 15 inches 375mm from medium-hot coals for 15 - 20 minutes or until center is white when cut with a knife. Turn and baste frequently with reserve marinade. Discard any leftover marinade after the chicken breasts are cooked.Serves 4. (Or one if it's my son.)

Per Serving 1 chicken breast (excluding unknown items): 309 Calories; 8g Fat (23.6% calories from fat); 54g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 144mg Cholesterol; 897mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.

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Fall squash and other vegtables!

As promised, I have posted 2 recipes that we have fallen in love with. Both are very easy to make, as well as WLS friendly.

The Tomato & Onion Gratin comes from a friend of mine at Obesity Help. Michelle has done a tremendous job with her WLS. She also has a blog of her own. Click here for Michelle's blog:

The world according to eggface.

The other recipe is one we came up with for Banana Squash! Very good! We actually bought another one for this week. It was just sweet enough to fill that need for sugar! So have fun, and eat healthy!

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Shelly's Tomato & Onion Gratin

4-5 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced

1 yellow onion, sliced

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onion

2 cups grated Italian Cheese (mozzarella fontina blend)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Blanch and de-skin tomatoes. Place the skinless tomatoes in a colander in the sink in 1 layer. Lightly sprinkle with kosher salt and allow to drain for 10 minutes. Sauté yellow onion till golden. Toss tomato slices, basil, and sautéed onion together and pour into a greased baking dish. Season with a little more salt and pepper. Combine the grated cheeses, chopped green onion and mayonnaise together. Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Note: May bubble over a bit so place a cookie sheet under pie dish. To serve, cut into slices and serve warm !

Banana Squash

Wash and peel squash, cut in half
De-seed insides
Place in a baking dish, hollow side down
Pour water into baking dish and cover with saran wrap
Cook for 15-20 minutes in microwave

When Squash is tender, mash like mashed potatoes. Add nutmeg, I can’t believe it’s not butter, and Splenda Brown Sugar to taste.

As Rachel Ray would say..."Yummo"!

Banana Squash ?

We did not have a football game this weekend! Yeah! You know sometimes you just need a weekend off with no special plans. So, what did we do? We cleaned house, did laundry, and went shopping.

I’ve noticed a big change in our shopping habits since my wife’s surgery. We seem to be buying more healthy foods and produce. WOW, I could not believe the produce we bought yesterday! And this is not all of it! I left baking potatoes, grapes, and onions out of the picture!

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We have special plans for all of this food though! Tonight we are having Ham, Tomato Onion Gratin, Grape and Apple Salad, and of course this very unique find…Banana Squash! I‘ve never heard of this, but am truly looking forward to it! Of course, after we prepare it, I will post some food porn and recipes!

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Funny looking, isn't it ? It was huge, it weighed about 12 lbs.!

We are also making our "Scoop & Nuke" for the week. Of course, leftovers will be included in that. Beth is doing Spaghetti Squash, and No guilt Banana Pudding! As Rachel Ray would say...Yummo! That's for my nephew Micheal!
Anyway…Have a great week!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This is another recipe we have tried lately. The original called for real butter, and milk. We have tried to modify the ingredients to make it more weight loss friendly.

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During the week both my wife and I have to work late, so we have what we commonly refer to as "Scoop & Nuke". In other words, we scoop up a plate and throw it in the microwave. I think this is a keeper!
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Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

1 large onion, chopped
1/3 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-3/4 cups Fat Free Milk

TOPPING:
1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, melted

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In a large nonstick skillet, saute ham for 4-5 minutes or until browned; drain and pat dry. Meanwhile, in a greased 2-qt. baking dish, layer the turkey, cheese and ham; set aside. In a large saucepan, saute the onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, mustard and nutmeg until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over ham. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Yield: 6 servings.

Summer Squash Casserole

Oh Wow! We had one of the best Summer Squash Casserole's I have ever had today at church! Now this makes the 4th time I have made it. If I can make it, it must be very easy! Anyway, I have got to give credit where credit due. This recipe came from Michelle over at the Obesity Help site. For those that don't know her, her screen name is M.V., but you would be more likely to recognize her avatar:

She is wonderful! Her recipes are really good, healthy, and just plain easy. You can find her here:

The World According To Eggface

Below you will find a copy of her "Summer Squash Casserole". We make the casserole using half yellow squash and half zucchini.

Hope you enjoy!

Summer Squash Casserole

3 cups sliced yellow summer squash or zucchini (or combo)

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 green onion, chopped (1 tablespoon chives)

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoon melted butter, divided

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

4 tablespoons shredded Italian Blend cheese (mozzarella, fontina, etc.)

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 Tablespoons Italian dry bread crumbs

Saute the squash and onion till it just gets a little color and slightly tender. Add green onions. Combine sour cream, 1 T of the melted butter, cheese, egg, salt and seasonings. Off the heat. Fold into cooked squash. Turn into buttered casserole. Combine other Tablespoon of melted butter, bread crumbs and Parmesan. Sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees about 25 - 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly !