(PRIMAL) CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

 Awesome casserole.
I know I tend to overuse the word “awesome” in daily life as well as online, and I'm trying to be mindful about it; but I can’t find better words to describe this dish.
Because this (Primal) Chicken Enchilada Casserole is so very delicious - awesome is the only word that comes to mind.
It’s like taking all the goodness of an enchilada, stacking it up, and baking it under a nice layer of mozzarella. Plus, it’s gluten-free and loaded with veggies. 
It may not look like, but it really is.

 I’ll confess it; making the primal version of this casserole it’s a tad more time consuming than the non-primal one.
In the latter case, you go to the grocery store and buy already made tortillas, shredded chicken, enchilada sauce and mozzarella; all you’re left to do is basically assemble the casserole.
But that’s not how we roll over here.
We like to make everything from scratch — and not because we think it’s funny to do the extra work, but because it’s healthier and tastes 200x better.

 So we make cauliflower tortillas, enchilada sauce, shredded chicken, okay, not the cheese (although I know quite a few people who make cheese at home!) and then we "create" the casserole.
A bit of sauce. Now layer away. Tortillas, chicken, cheese and sauce all up in there.
35 minutes in the oven and yum!

 Here’s the thing about this Primal Chicken Enchilada Casserole, it’s not as good as the regular one, it’s on a whole 'nother level.
It makes the regular one tastes....meh, or something.
The cauliflower tortillas are so yummy and they soak up the juice way better than regular flour tortillas. Every time you take a bite... It's like you've never eaten anything before.
This is one healthy casserole that will satisfy the even the most finicky eaters. 

(Primal) Chicken Enchilada Casserole                                                                


Ingredients 
Serves 6 - 8

1 lb / 453 gr free-range organic chicken breast
2 cups / 6.8 oz / 200 gr shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (you can also use Monterey Jack) 

Cauliflower Tortillas

1 small head of cauliflower, should yield 3 cups riced and packed
3 eggs
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Enchilada Sauce

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder*
2 tablespoons chili powder (adjust according to taste)
1 can (15 oz / 425 gr) tomato sauce
1 ½ cups / 350 ml water
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ fine grain sea salt

*arrowroot powder acts like cornstarch

Directions

Chicken

Boil chicken breast in a large pot of water for 30 minutes. Then shred it with two forks. Set aside.

Enchilada sauce

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat; stir in arrowroot powder and chili powder. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly until light brown, about 2 minutes.
Stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic and salt; lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then. Set aside.

Cauliflower crust tortillas

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C), line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease them with olive oil.
In a food processor rice the cauliflower, until you get a texture finer than rice. (Once it’s riced measure it and make sure you have 3 cups packed).
Place cauliflower rice in a bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, give it a good stir and microwave for another 2 minutes.
Place the cauliflower rice in a tea towel and twist it to squeeze as much moisture as you can (I usually squeeze out over a cup of liquid). This is very important. The cauliflower rice needs to be dry.
Place drained cauliflower rice back in the bowl and add eggs, salt and pepper and mix until combined.
Spread the mixture onto the lined baking sheets into 8 fairly flat circles.
Place in the oven for 10 minutes, then peel them off the parchment paper, flip them and bake for further 6 to 7 minutes.
Heat a nonstick medium sized pan over medium heat and place the tortillas into the pan pressing down slightly and brown them (1 minute per side).

Assemble the casserole

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Place a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce in the bottom of 8x8 baking dish. Place two tortillas in the bottom of the dish, overlapping to cover the entire surface (to get each layer completely covered with tortillas, I cut 1 additional tortilla into fourths and used it to cover the corners).
Layer chicken, cheese, sauce and tortillas; repeat once to make a total of 2/3 layers.
Cover the top with enchilada sauce and 1 cup of cheese.
Cover the baking dish with well-oiled aluminium foil and bake for about 30 minutes.
Remove foil and bake uncovered for additional 5 minutes, until cheese starts to brown and sauce is bubbling.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 370 calories, 22 grams of fat, 8 grams of carbs and 32 grams of protein.

[Casseroles & Gratins] High-Protein Zucchini Parmesan

There’s this thing where you can use zucchini instead of eggplant and make zucchini parmesan...and it’s D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!
Seriously, I've been making this recipe for years and it always delivers.
Crispy-crunchy grilled zucchini layered with tasty tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese and eggs.
No mozzarella.
You won’t miss it, I promise. Don’t ask me why. But subbing mozzarella with beatnen eggs works. It’s like our little secret.
Shhhh...don’t tell anyone.

You can check that stats below, but we’re using lots of veggies here. A bit of cheese (and please use real Parmesan cheese if you can). And there’s a lot of protein too, thanks to the eggs.
I’m going to say something controversial here: I think I like it even better than eggplant parm now and I didn’t think that was possible. Wait, WOT?

High-Protein Zucchini Parmesan                                                                         

Ingredients 
Serves 6

Grilled zucchini

6 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste

Tomato sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14.5 oz / 411 gr) cans diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen)
2 sprigs fresh basil
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste

1 cup / 1.8 oz / 50 gr grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3 large free-range organic eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Tomato sauce

To make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large (preferably non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and saute’ until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about a minute, then add diced tomatoes, salt, black pepper and basil sprigs.
When it starts to bubble, turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring every so often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and are beginning to stick to the pan, about 25 minutes.
Remove the basil sprigs and set aside.

Grilled zucchini

Wash the zucchini, cut the ends off and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Be careful as the knife can slip on the shiny surface of the zucchini; work on a solid, unmoving surface.
Place zucchini slices into one of those enormous ziploc bags, or two regular-sized ziploc bags.
Pour in olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Seal the bag and shake well to get zucchini slices all coated.
Heat a grill pan (or an outdoor grill) over medium heat (if you don’t own a grill pan, you can use a regular skillet), and grill/cook the zucchini for 5-7 minutes on each side (the zucchini should be soft throughout when poked with a fork and have nice grill marks on each side when they are done.)
Set aside.

Assemble Zucchini Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish (about two-quart) with two tablespoons of tomato sauce and arrange zucchini slices on top to form an uniform layer.
Cover the zucchini with tomato sauce, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and then spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of beaten eggs (you’ll need to use the back of the spoon to spread them uniformly).
Repeat to make 3 layers, making sure to end with a uniform layer of tomato sauce and top with the remaining Parmesan cheese. 
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until hot and beginning to brown.
Let set at least 15 minutes before serving.
This dish tastes better the day after!

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 210 calories, 12 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbs and 13 grams of protein.

[Casseroles & Gratins] ROASTED TOMATO, ZUCCHINI AND SMOKED CHEESE CASSEROLE

Roasted Tomato, Zucchini and Smoked Cheese Casserole                     

Ingredients 
Serves 4

3 medium zucchini
3 large tomatoes
12 slices good tasting smoked cheese (such as Gouda, Cheddar or Scamorza)
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, divided
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a rack in the middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 
Wash the zucchini, cut the ends off and slice into ¼-inch thick rounds.
Place zucchini rounds in a large bowl, sprinkle with thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, ground black pepper and drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil. Toss until they’re evenly coated.
Arrange zucchini rounds onto the lined baking sheet, taking care not to overlap them (if they don’t fit onto 1 baking sheet, use 2.)
Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes until they start to lightly brown. Remove and set aside.
Wash tomatoes and slice into ½-inch thick slices and arrange them onto the remaining lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with oregano, garlic, remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 
Roast in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are concentrated and beginning to caramelize. Remove and set aside.
Lightly grease the bottom of 4 ramekins (or a 2-quart baking dish).
Cover the bottom of each ramekin with one tomato slice, then 4 zucchini rounds and top with one slice of cheese.
Repeat to make 3 layers (or stop at 2 if they don’t fit into the ramekins) making sure to end with a slice of cheese.
Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.
Serve warm.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 267 calories, 19 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs and 15 grams of protein.

 I love smoked cheese.
Well, more like I love anything that is smoked.
Give me some smoked pork ribs or some of that Italian smoked prosciutto called “speck”, and I’m one happy camper.
But my heart lies with smoked cheese. Smoked cheddar, smoked gouda or queso idiazabal get my motor running.
In fact, I seldom buy them because they are just too tempting. Once I start, I can't stop eating them.
When I was a kid, my sis had to wrestle the knife out of my hand or I’d happily eat the whole slab of smoked cheddar, piece by piece.
Sometimes I would even hide the piece of cheese in the refrigerator - under a head of lettuce or something - and deny any knowledge of how it got there - if my mum would later discover it.

 Here’s the thing about smoked cheese, it tastes like meat. Seriously.
Once I made (GF) Mac & Cheese using smoked gouda, and I swear my friends asked me if I had put bacon it.
Something to keep in mind for those vegetarians that may miss the flavor of bacon.
Throw some smoked cheese in and you’re halfway there to the real thing.
Do you know that you can actually smoke cheese on your BBQ? For real.
All you need is a soldering iron, a tin can and hardwood chips.
I would love to try it as well - even if that sounds a bit too MacGyverish to me - but something tells me not to. You know, I might burn down the house or something like that — talking about smoking everything.
Better to walk a couple of blocks to Murray’s to get me some of their amazing maple leaf smoked Gouda.

 Okay, onto this casserole.
This is like the perfect dish to whip up during the summer when your garden’s too prolific or when you buy too much summer produce at the farmers’ market (e.g., zucchini and tomatoes).
Roasted zucchini are layered with caramelized tomatoes and smoked cheese.
What’s there not to love?
This irresistible casserole is a nice vegetarian dish on its own or can be a great side to grilled fish or meat.
Trust me, this recipe is always a hit. In fact, I usually have to double it all the time, and still there are no leftovers. 

[Casseroles & Gratins]COTTAGE PIE

Sometimes you make a dish so simple and unpromising, you’re wondering why you even attempted it. 
Then you taste it and you hate yourself for ever doubting its capabilities.
This Cottage pie is one of those dishes. 
A few basic ingredients: ground beef mixed with vegetables, topped with sliced potatoes. Simple. 
Then you put it in the oven for about 40 minutes, and what comes out of it is a dish that just sings. A perfect balance of flavours, tasty, everything is perfect.
Just like a good song. A song that hits your nerve and you’re like ‘Oh my god, I love this song’.
You know, one of those songs you keep playing on your iPod, over and over, and never get tired of it. 
Like ‘Step’ by Vampire Weekend. One of the best songs ever imo.
When you wrap together some of the most clever lyrics ever written (“Wisdom's a gift, but you'd trade it for youth, age is an honor - it's still not the truth”) with a great tune, you’ve got yourself a perfect song.
And just like a perfect song, this Cottage pie is a perfect blend and balance of flavors.

A Cottage pie is basically a Shepherd pie, with one big difference. Shepherds pie is made with fresh ground lamb, (lamb -> shepherd), or minced leftover lamb from Sunday roast (which begs the question: who has leftover of lamb?) If you use ground beef instead, the dish is called Cottage pie. 
I must come clean though, I didn’t know the difference between Shepherd pie and Cottage pie, I had to look it on the internet (thanks Wiki!)

A traditional Cottage pie is topped with mashed potatoes. I used potato slices instead, because it saves a lot of time and looks really awesome.
Basically what you have here is tasty mixture of vegetables and beef topped with "potato chips".
I’m sure you’re going to love this Cottage pie; it’s a classic one-dish meal, easy to make and deeply comforting. Trust.

Cottage Pie                                                                                                                  

Note. Real cottage pie is made with dark (porter) beer, not beef stock. However, I’m not a big fan of the bitter aftertaste, so I prefer to use stock. Feel free to use beer for a more authentic flavor though.

Ingredients
Serves 6

1 lb / 453 gr organic ground beef
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, cut into ¾-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 cup / 250 ml beef stock 
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder*
¾ cup / 4 oz / 115 gr frozen peas
1 large potato, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste

*arrowroot powder acts like cornstarch (you can use cornstarch if that’s what you have in your pantry.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a rack in the middle. 
Melt one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots, and saute’ - stirring every so often - until onion is soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. 
Season with salt and pepper, and stir in tomato paste.
Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes.
Add thyme and beef stock and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to reduce, about 3 minutes.
In a bowl mix arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) with ½ cup of cold water. Add to beef mixture and cook until it thickens, about 2 minutes.
Stir in peas and adjust seasoning, if needed.
Transfer mixture to a 2-quart baking dish. Top with potatoes, overlapping slices.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and drizzle over the potatoes.
Bake until the potatoes are browned around the edges, about 40 to 45 minutes.
Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 235 calories, 9 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbs, and 22 grams of protein.

[Casseroles & Gratins] SCALLOPED SWEET POTATOES

I know this recipe seems a little out of place in May. 
The weather is getting warmer, the summer is getting closer, we put away the boots, and got the flip flops out.
Yet, here I am, presenting you with a classic winter comfort food when I should be making ice-cream, granita, or sorbet instead.
But you see, sometimes after a long run (a very, very long run) a guy needs carbs, good carbs. 
And sweet potatoes are among my fave carb.
They fill me up without giving me the food hangover feeling, all the while being so freaking healthy, it's almost silly.

While I love me some mashed sweet potatoes, the other night I wanted something more rich, something more creamy, something more gooey. 
Something like scalloped sweet potatoes.
Scalloped potatoes is a traditional, filling side dish that one does not associate with “healthy food”.
And that for a reason, it’s usually overflowing with cups of heavy cream, tons of cheese, and pounds of starchy Russet potatoes.
But I can make a healthier version that's perfect for any weeknight, trust me.

Uber healthy sweet potatoes in place of white, less cheese, less heavy cream, but a ton of flavor.
I would say that this dish is an interesting twist to classic scalloped potatoes, without compromising the smooth, comfort-food texture that makes them so delicious in the first place. Do you trust me?

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes                                                                                   

Ingredients
Serves 6

3 medium sweet potatoes (about 2½ lbs), sliced into ⅛-inch round (peeled or unpeeled)
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese (or sharp cheddar)
½ cup / 125 ml heavy cream
½ cup / 125 ml milk
Salt and pepper 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic and saute for an additional minute until fragrant. Add in the heavy cream, milk, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes until the sauce comes to a simmer (not a boil) and starts to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside.
In the meantime, lightly grease a 9x9-inch baking pan. 
Spread half of the sliced sweet potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Top evenly with half of the heavy cream mixture, then sprinkle evenly with half of the shredded cheese.
Top evenly with the remaining sliced sweet potatoes, the remaining half of the heavy cream mixture, and the remaining shredded cheese.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the sweet potatoes are cooked through.
Sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and serve! 

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 242 calories, 17 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbs, and 8 grams of protein.