Leftovers Week: Vegetable & Turkey Casserole

~~posted by Jen




First and Foremost, a big Happy Birthday to Nik, our resident "Pouch Diva." She is taking a couple days off to enjoy her birthday, so y'all are stuck with me for the weekend. Nik, party it up, girl! We love you!!

Left to Right: Nessa, Nik, and Andrea. The guy in front is some random wedding guest in their hotel lobby. Pic by Melting Mama. Thanks, Beff!

Today is our last day of Leftovers Week, we hope you've enjoyed everything we've shared and that you use these recipes to make new meals from your holiday extras. At holiday meal time, everyone always has green bean casserole for the most part, at least where I come from. I made a healthier version of the traditional for the Holiday Preview and shared the recipe a couple weeks back. Well I clearly remember in packing up my things to come home from Baltimore, I still had a four pack of canned green beans leftover.

I know I packed them, I distinctly remember putting them in the re-usable shopping bag with the remaining Atkins baking mix and Splenda to bring back home. What happened to them between my hotel room in Baltimore and my home in New Jersey, only the good Lord knows. All I know is that when I went to make my green bean casserole on Thanksgiving Day, they were NOWHERE to be found! I had 5, yes, I said FIVE, cans of Fried onions. Not. one. single. can. of green beans.

Well of course there is a vegetarian in the house, I can't very well just serve turkey and stuffing and call it a day. Y'all know what I did. I made it WORK, people!!

I always have a ginormous Costco size bag of "Normandy style" (that's cauliflower, broccoli, baby carrots, and yellow squash, what makes it Normandy style is beyond me) vegetables in the freezer.

So I combined the idea of two of my usual Thanksgiving dishes, Green Bean Casserole and Broccoli Casserole, into one dish. A couple days after Thanksgiving, I needed to use up the leftovers, so I added some turkey breast meat to it and called it dinner.

This was a big hit with everyone, and in fact will most likely replace good ole Green Bean Casserole at future holiday meals. Here's how I made it:

Jen's Cheesy Mixed Vegetable Casserole with Turkey


Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ouncese) reduced fat Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
Dash ground pepper
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Onion Powder
3 cups "Normandy Style" mixed vegetables, thawed
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can stems & pieces mushrooms
2 cups cooked turkey meat, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2/3 cup French Fried Onions


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the soup, milk, Greek Yogurt, and seasonings. Stir in the vegetable medley, mushrooms, turkey meat, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Continue mixing together until thoroughly combined. 


Spray a 3 quart casserole dish with cooking spray, then pour the mixture into the dish. Spread it out evenly with a spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until it is bubbling and hot. Remove from oven, stir the mixture, then top with remaining cheese and the fried onions. Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the onions are crispy.


Note: You can also cook this in the microwave if you prefer, just follow the instructions here. 

Leftovers Week: Jen's Mediterranean Vegetables with Turkey

~~posted by Jen

Today's feature for Leftovers Week is turkey. We probably all still have some hanging around. My boys and I loved the Gobble It Down Pizza so much on Sunday that I made it again last night. You can substitute leftover chicken breast for the turkey and it's just as yummy. Later today I'll share the BF Basics of Making Stock, so you can finally get those turkey carcasses out of the way.

You've heard me mention the resident vegetarian on occasion, and since I do 98% of the cooking here, I am learning lots of tasty new ways to create vegetarian dishes so you don't "miss the meat." That's how today's dish started out.

We have an awesome farmer's market not far from here, and usually once or twice a week we swing through there and check out the deals. Inevitably, we load up and come home with tons of awesome veggies. This trip was no exception. They have the absolute BEST sundried tomatoes there, so good you could eat them straight from the container and we frequently do.

I call this "Mediterranean" because it sounds fancier than "Italian" and has lots of the veggies used in that region: Portabello Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes, and Zucchini. Here's how it goes:

Jen's Mediterranean Vegetables with Turkey
Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini, cut into quarters 
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed dry, not in oil) roughly chopped
4 portabello mushrooms caps, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 can petite diced tomatoes, with the juice
1 small sweet onion, peeled and chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 stick butter or margarine
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Oil Oil
1/2 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup leftover turkey meat, cut into chunks
1 tbsp Pesto Concentrate (on the Italian foods aisle, comes in a tube, right by the tomato paste tubes)
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 cups shredded 6-cheese Italian Blend
Optional: 1 pound cooked whole wheat penne pasta (this was for the non-ops, I can't handle pasta at all)


Directions:
Save the stems from the mushrooms and whatever remnants you cut off the other vegetables in a plastic bag in the fridge, you'll need these later when we make stock. 


Preheat a large non-stick skillet on top of the stove. Once it's hot, add the butter/margarine and the olive oil. Add all the vegetables and saute for a few minutes. 


Stir in the stock and seasonings, cover the skillet, and let it cook until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally for about 6 to 8 minutes. 


Add the turkey and stir together until completely combined. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and cover the skillet again so it melts. Serve over pasta if you choose.   

Chicken Quinoa Vegetable Soup

~~posted by Jen

Quinoa and chicken and veggies, oh my!

Beef Barley soup was one of my "go to" recipes in my pre-op life when we were having people over on a Fall or Winter weekend. It was delicious and always a crowd pleaser, but I needed to change it a bit to fit my new post-op eating plan.

I traded in the higher carb barley for protein-packed quinoa, same texture but better for me, since it is a complete protein. I used chicken since I had some in the freezer left over from last week's Roast Chicken Dinner. You could also use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.

This is one of my "cheater" weeknight soups. You can have this from stove to table in less than a half hour. I took a little help from my pals at Trader Joe's with their frozen Quinoa with Roasted Vegetable Melange. I added some extra frozen mixed vegetables, just because I like lots of veggies in my soup.

Worried about breaking the no drinking with meals rule of the pouch when eating soup? If it's a broth-based soup like this one, I usually drink the broth first, then eat the rest of the soup ingredients. That way I am done drinking before I eat any solids, which is the whole point of that rule, so we don't stretch our stomas.

So here's how it's done:

Jen's Chicken Quinoa Vegetable Soup


Ingredients:

3 cups shredded or cubed roast chicken (or rotisserie chicken)

2 bags Trader Joe's Quinoa with vegetable melange 

OR 2 cups cooked Quinoa

1 (16 ounce) bag frozen mixed vegetables

4 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp Garlic powder

1 tbsp Onion powder

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, including the juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

3 or 4 scoops Any Whey Unflavored Protein Powder (optional)

Directions: 

Cook the quinoa in your microwave or rice cooker according to package directions. While it cooks, pour the chicken stock and can of diced tomatoes (juice too) into your dutch oven and bring it to a boil on top of the stove. Add the mixed vegetables, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin. Stir well to combine.

Once the quinoa is done, add it to the stock mixture on the stove and stir to combine. Let it simmer just until the vegetables are tender. Taste for seasonings, add salt, pepper, and any other spices it needs. If you're adding the protein powder, add it at the very end of cooking and whisk it in thoroughly.

If you're early out and on pureeds, you could puree this in your blender or with your immersion blender. This recipe is 143 grams of protein for the WHOLE POT of soup, so this is one you would most definitely want to consider adding the Any Whey Unflavored Protein Powder to at the end, or at least to your own personal serving. 1/2 scoop per 4 oz of soup is the usual amount we add. 

Nik's "Magic" Meatballs

What's in a meatball? When you make Nik's...a whole lot!

I know a lot of you buy your meatballs at the grocery store. It's convenient, I know. There are many brands that have turkey and lean beef and they are quite tasty. I don't tend to buy pre-packaged meatballs, though. Why?

(Broken record in 5, 4, 3, 2...) Well first off, because I like my cooking better! Secondly, because meatballs are something we only eat when we're in the mood for them. And sometimes there's a stretch between when the mood hits us. And while the food industry has gotten really good at improving their packaging, somehow I can't seem to escape freezer fuzz with my meatballs!

Besides the fact that my recipe comes out cheaper than store bought meatballs (thanks Aldi!). Oh, yeah, and there's the magic part. Yes, they are magic meatballs. What makes them magical? Well, to me, good magic is very unassuming. It's a surprise where you never expected it to be. Something that looks like nothing but is really something.

Such is the case with my meatballs. They look like regular meatballs with regular meatball stats. But then you eat one and not only is there a surprise inside, but there's a surprise in the stats. So...without further adieu...I present...

Nik's Magic Meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb. lean meat (turkey, beef, whatever...)
1 package onion soup mix
1/2 c. Textured Vegetable Protein (if you're going, "what's that?" click here)
2 light mozzarella string cheese sticks, cut into 6 equal pieces
1 extra large egg, beaten

Ok...so that's not a lot of ingredients right? Let's make the magic happen. First off...string cheese? Yep, string cheese! Who wants to take a crack at what that means? It means my meatballs are STUFFED.

I saw on some Bobby Flay cooking show (he has a million of 'em) a recipe for stuffed hamburgers. Well me and hamburgers don't get along so I decided to try to stuff something else. For me, the choice was clear. I was stuffing my meatball. So here's how it goes down.

In a bowl you combine the meat and the TVP and let it sit for a minute or two. The TVP will soak up excess moisture in the meat. If you use super lean meat, add a litte milk to the mixture to keep some moisture. I usually go for a nice 85/15 ratio myself.

After that add the onion soup mix and the egg and mix it very thoroughly. Now...here comes the fun part. Scoop up a bit of meat in your hand and form into a little half moon shape and then stick a piece of the cheese in the middle and surround it with meat, like so:

Make sure there are no gaping holes or you will lose your cheese in the cooking process! So keep doing that until you've got about 12 meatballs. As you roll them, you're placing them on a sprayed baking sheet of course. Here's mine all lined up. Don't laugh at the ancient baking sheet. It belonged to my granpa!

I should also say that if your kids are old enough, this is a TOTALLY interactive meal prep. My 8 year old was a meatball rolling fool for this blog post.

S'anyway, you stick them in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes. You see above how they come out. On the outside it looks like a regular meatball but on the inside...mmmm...warm cheesiness. Now...what to do with your meatballs. You can put them in any sauce you like. Back in the day, I liked the cream of mushroom type sauce. My kids, however, like to make mini-meatball subs by putting three of these in a hot dog bun. Check out the pic la petite diva took of her meal that night:



Awww...my little budding photog! As you can see I serve this with a side salad. It's on a dinner sized plate (somehow all my salad sized ones have gone missing) and the salad is devoid of the tomatoes I made her add five seconds later.

Ok, so let's talk stats here. My whole recipe comes out to 1040 calories (without sauce), 134g protein. If you make 12 meatballs that would come out to about 86 calories, 11g protein per meatball. So even if you only ate one...you are WAY ahead of the game!

So, try them. Let us know what you think. They are a favorite in my household and I'm sure you'll find a way to make them one in yours too!



Taco Casserole

Thank you, Shannon, for this AWESOME pic!

Around my house, we tend to have a lot of variety in the dishes we eat. This is, of course, because I have a varied palate and am easily bored by food. Boredom=undereating=lack of energy=testy Nik. So I try to keep it fresh in the kitchen.

But there are a few dishes I’d call “stand by’s.” The divas, of course, have some they like, some they do not. Sometimes they are split on a dish. Like taco casserole, for instance. La petite diva loves it. Happily glops on a massive portion of Greek yogurt and salsa on top and inhales it.

The older one? Not so much. I’ve not ever been able to figure out why, though. Theoretically she should love it. She loves each component—taco meat, refried beans, gooey cheese. But all together? Nope. Won’t eat it. Not in the beginning. Not now.

Still, since the little one and I like it, I still make it. On those nights the older one opts for our standard “alternative dinner” of a salad with a few grilled chicken bites on top and some ranch dressing.

Today, taco casserole is one of the most popular recipes I’ve ever posted anywhere. People still message me to tell me how much they like it and their kids like it and their spouse likes it (you hear that oldest child???). So I have to give it a blog post of its own. A place of honor.

Nik’s Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground meat (whatever you use)
1 small zucchini, diced (I leave the skin on for extra fiber)
1 small yellow squash, diced (same deal)
1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic minced
1 envelope of taco seasoning mix
1 can black beans (I used the spicy kind), drained and rinsed
1 can fat-free refried beans
1 can tomatoes and chiles (or canned diced tomatoes if you don't like the heat)
2 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese (you can do reduced fat or regular but NOT fat free!)

Optional toppings:

Unflavored Greek yogurt
Salsa

Directions:

In a sprayed pan, sautee veggies with garlic until they are softened. Drain any excess liquid and transfer to a bowl.

Brown ground meat, drain and then transfer to the same bowl and mix with canned beans and tomatoes and chiles.

Mix in taco seasoning thoroughly and then transfer mixture to a 13x9 casserole dish.

Evenly spread out fat free refried beans on top (this may be easier if you heat them in a microwave safe bowl for a minute or so.

Top with cheese and then bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is oozy, melty and slightly browned.

If you care about it looking like a casserole, let it cool for about 20 minutes before serving. If not, dig in!

My brother loves this on multi-grain tortilla chips. The little diva eats it like I do, straight up with Greek yogurt and salsa. Except I put a sprig of cilantro on top to keep things fancy.