Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole--Tasty Kitchen

• Click HERE for the original recipe, and see below for my adaptations.
• 
  
• FOR THE CASSEROLE:
• 1 whole cooked chicken, Bones Removed, Meat Diced Or Shredded (rotisserie Chicken Is Excellent, Should Be 5-6 Cups Of Chicken)
• ½ pounds Very Thinly Sliced Deli-style Honey Ham (or left over ham)
• ¼ pounds Thin Sliced Baby Swiss Cheese
• 
  
• FOR THE SAUCE:
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 6 Tablespoons Flour
• 5 cups Milk (I have used skim, evaporated, and coconut milk--all have worked great)
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard (I actually used honey mustard, which was also great)
• 
  
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 1-½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• ¾ teaspoons Seasoning Salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Put cooked shredded or diced chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Rough chop the ham and scatter it over the top of the chicken. Lay the Swiss cheese on top of the ham.

For the sauce:

Melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. When butter is melted, quickly stir in the flour to form a smooth roux. Do not brown! Once the roux is smooth and bubbly, slowly pour in the cold milk while stirring briskly to make a smooth sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the lemon juice and Dijon/honey mustard. Bring sauce just back to a low boil and turn off heat. Pour sauce evenly over the casserole, being certain to get some of the sauce around the edges of the pan.

For the topping:

Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium sized microwaveable bowl. Heat it for 30 seconds at a time and stop once it’s melted. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir in the panko bread crumbs, and seasoning salt. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

Bake casserole uncovered for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly throughout and topping has turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

**Whole Wheat Flax Bread**

5 c. warm water

2 T. yeast

1 T. salt

3/4 c. olive oil

3/4 c. honey

1 c. flaxseed meal

10-12 c. whole wheat flour {I grind my own}

Mix all ingredients in Bosch mixer (I have used 11 cups of flour each time I've made it). Let rise for 45 minutes in greased bowl, covered. Punch down dough, form into 4 loaves, put in 4 loaf pans, cover, and let rise for about 20 minutes. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

**Freezes well

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore-skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thighs, with the bone, skin removed
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso my favorite!)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs such as basil or parsley for topping

Directions:

Quick method: Season chicken with salt and black pepper and place in the slow cooker.Pour tomatoes over the chicken, top with onions and peppers, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, give it a quick stir and cover. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours. When the timer beeps, remove lid and keep the crock pot on HIGH one hour to help it thicken.

Better method but requires more prep:  Heat a large skillet over medium-high, lightly spray with oil (I use my Misto) and brown chicken on both sides a few minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add to the slow cooker. To the skillet, spray with a little more oil and add onions and peppers. Sauté until juices release and the vegetables become golden, a few minutes.

Add to the slow cooker. Pour tomatoes over the chicken and vegetables, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, give it a quick stir and cover. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours.

Remove bay leaf, adjust salt and pepper and enjoy! 

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas-skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup red enchilada sauce
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut 1/2-inch-dice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup water
• 8 medium low-carb whole wheat flour tortillas (I used La Tortilla Factory)
• 1 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped scallions, for garnish
• reduced-fat sour cream, for serving (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook 2-3 minutes until onions become translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add cubed butternut, Rotel tomatoes, black beans, water,  cilantro, cumin and chili powder and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place 1/4 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish.

Place about a generous 1/3 cup filling in the center of each tortilla and roll, place on the baking dish seam side down. Repeat with the remaining filling. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese and bake, covered with foil until hot and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Top with scallions and eat with sour cream if desired.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Here is the original recipe I found online, and here are my adaptations:

2 cups creamy PB

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

-Preheat oven to 350

-Mix all ingredients until combined well

-Using a large cookie scoop, scoop dough onto cookie sheet lined with Silpat

-Use a fork to make criss-cross marks on each cookie. 

-Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies rest for about 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.