Fall and winter call out for comfort foods and this recipe will hit the comfort food spot. This is a simple recipe that can start with leftover chicken, chicken thighs or breasts that you prepare or a rotisserie chicken.
Preheat oven to 450°. In a baking dish, toss cauliflower florets with fat of choice and season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender, 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, buffalo sauce, ranch, green onions, and garlic powder until combined. Set aside. Toss rotisserie chicken with roasted cauliflower in baking dish and spread cream cheese mixture on top. Top with cheddar and gouda and bake until cheese is completely melted and bubbly, 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then drizzle with ranch and garnish with green onions or chives and serve. If you haven't set your cream cheese out to soften place chunked up cream cheese into a microwavable bowl and microwave at 40 percent power in 30 second intervals until softened.
Cheese feel free to use whatever cheese you like or have on hand. Pepper Jack would add a nice kick.
Variations:
Jalapeno Buffalo Chicken Casserole: Prepare the casserole as listed above except using fresh jalapeno peppers slice thinly and place on a microwave safe plate in a single layer and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds to soften. Then place the sliced jalapenos on top of the shredded cheese. You can also use pickled jalapenos, no need to cook.
Bacon Buffalo Chicken Casserole: Prepare the casserole as listed above except cook 4 slices of bacon and crumble to add to the cream cheese mixture or you can add when serving.
Bacon Jalapeno Buffalo Chicken Casserole: Prepare the casserole as listed above and follow the instructions for the jalapenos and baconBuffalo Chicken Ranch Casserole
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition
Notes
Classic Braised Beef Short Ribs
This classic dish is a pot full of satisfying comfort food good enough for company. These are even better the next day. This recipe is cooked in the oven however I have also included instructions for cooking in the Instant Pot (IP) or slow cooker (see notes section). Serve over Mashed Cauliflower.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 6 thick-cut meaty beef short ribs
- 1 large head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 4 cups beef stock
- 4 ounces pancetta, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- Pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Parsley flat leaf chopped or dried parsley, to garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 330°F.
Season the short ribs thoroughly with salt and pepper. Heat a dutch oven with a lid over medium high heat, add avocado oil and then cooking in batches add about 4 ribs to the pot. Fry the ribs for 10–15 minutes to brown really well on all sides.
Add the halved garlic head, cut side down, pushing it to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato past and heat for a minute or two to cook it out the raw tomato flavor.
Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to the boil and cook for 10–15 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half, then add stock to nearly cover the ribs
Bring to the boil again, basting the ribs with the juices.
Cover the roasting tray with foil and cook in the preheated oven for 3–4 hours, basting now and then until the meat is tender and falling away from the bone.
Serve over mashed cauliflower
About 10 minutes before the short ribs are ready to come out, fry the pancetta for 2–3 minutes until crisp and golden. Add the mushrooms and cook for 4–5 minutes until tender. Drain off any excess fat.
When the short ribs are ready, remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and pass through a sieve. Spoon off any excess fat from the beef cooking liquid, then strain it through the sieve and mix with the garlic. (If the sauce is too thin, reduce the cooking liquid by heating for 10–15 minutes more after straining.)
Serve the short ribs topped with the hot pancetta and mushrooms and the sauce poured around. Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley.
Enjoy!
Nutrition
-
361 Calories
-
7g Carbohydrates
-
60mg Cholesterol
-
23g Fat
-
1g Fiber
-
21g Protein
-
7g Saturated fat
-
652mg Sodium
-
2g Sugar
-
11g Unsaturated fat
Notes
These can also be cooked in the Instant Pot (IP) or slow cooker but are best when slow braised in a dutch oven. Cooking in the IP: Brown the ribs and then place in the IP and cover with liquid. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high and set time for 40 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer's directions. Natural-release pressure according to manufacturer's directions. Slow Cooker: Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the meat is very tender.
Incredible Collard Greens in the Instant Pot
An incredible side dish to go with Mustard Herb Pork Tenderloin and Mashed Cauliflower. Make it this Sunday!
Incredible Collard Greens in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch of collard greens, washed, stemmed, and torn roughly in 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon Surkin Gold Brown Sugar Alternative (see note for recipe to make your own)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- ½ -1 pound ham hock
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- hot sauce (optional)
- hot peppers (optional)
Instructions
Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot. Cook for 25 minutes and then quick release.
Remove the ham hock and take the meat off the bone. Chop up and add to the greens.
Add red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or hot peppers if desired.
Enjoy!
Nutrition
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76 Calories
-
3g Carbohydrates
-
18mg Cholesterol
-
4g Fat
-
5g Protein
-
1g Saturated fat
-
325mg Sodium
-
1g Sugar
Notes
Brown Sugar substitute recipe: 1 cup erythritol (granulated), 3/4 teaspoon maple extract, 3/4 teaspoon Stevia Glycerite (optional)
Shrimp Lo Mein
This recipe will satisfy your desire for food with an Asian flair. There are multiple ways to cook a spaghetti squash and as such the time for cooking the spaghetti squash not included in this recipe. See my recipe for cooking spaghetti squash.
Shrimp Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash, roasted- see instructions for how to cook spaghetti squash
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
- 2 green onions sliced, divided
- 10 Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- 2 lbs raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 red pepper, julienned
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced, see note
- 1 cup fresh broccoli chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons coconut aminos or Braggs aminos
- 1/2 teaspoon Erythritol
- Pink Himalayan salt to taste
- 1- 2 dried Thai chili peppers (optional if you like a lot of heat)
Instructions
Prepare the spaghetti squash
Combine the minced garlic, ginger, half of the green onions, and peppercorns, optional chili peppers to create the seasoning mix
Using a cast iron wok or cast iron skillet heat the sesame oil over medium high heat and the seasoning mix and heat until fragrant about 30 seconds. Add in the shrimp and cook just until pink on both sides. Stir frequently so the garlic mix doesn't burn. Remove the shrimp to a bowl and set aside.
Add additional sesame oil if needed to the wok or pan
Add in the the mushrooms, red pepper and broccoli and cook until slightly softened about 2-3 minutes.
Add in spaghetti squash and stir until combined. Combine the coconut aminos and erythritol and pour over and toss. Taste for salt and add salt to taste, if needed. Top with the remaining green onions.
Enjoy!
Nutrition
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200 Calories
-
11g Carbohydrates
-
224mg Cholesterol
-
7g Fat
-
1g Fiber
-
22g Protein
-
1g Saturated fat
-
927mg Sodium
-
2g Sugar
-
4g Unsaturated fat
Notes
You can use white, baby bella or crimini or shiitaki mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms will double the carbohydrate count but also amp up the flavor considerably.