Squash Casserole {Dairy Free}

When I first published this recipe, it was laden with cheese. I altered the ingredients to accommodate my new dietary needs (I explain more here) and transformed this recipe into a deliciously dairy free side dish!

Squash Casserole {Dairy Free}
Yield: about 8 side dish servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb yellow squash (2-3 medium) - peeled, seeded, chopped
• 1 large (or 2 small) yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic (fresh, not dried)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup Daiya cheddar style shreds
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Directions

1. Steam squash, onion, and garlic in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours, or until tender. Drain off excess liquid. Use immersion blender to desired smooth, or chunky, consistency.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
3. Stir mayonnaise into squash mixture. Beat eggs and slowly whisk into squash mixture. Stir in cheddar shreds, nutritional yeast, and salt until evenly distributed.
4. Pour into greased casserole dish. Sprinkle top with parsley.
5. Bake 35 minutes, or until top turns golden brown. Serve hot from the oven and enjoy!

Note

• Zucchini can be used in place of yellow squash, or try a combination of the two! Acorn squash also works well. Really, any savory squash will do!

Recipe adapted from Genius Kitchen.

What's for Lunch?

I rarely cook myself anything from scratch for lunch, but I had a number of odds-and-ends ingredients leftover in the fridge from other meals I've made this week that I wanted to use up... and that's how this "recipe" was born!

I made homemade onion rings baked in the oven one night with dinner (recipe to be shared another time!), so the scraps from that were chopped up and ready to go. For dessert this week, I made my chocolate chip squash bread and my pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, and I didn't quite need the full quart-size bag of buttercup squash I had defrosted from the freezer. Then I had some fresh spinach that was on the verge of not being salad-friendly anymore, so it would be perfect to cook and wilt down.

Voila! It even looks good enough to be served in a restaurant. :)

Servings: 1

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup mashed buttercup squash (or butternut squash)
pinch of ground sage
pinch of salt
1 large egg

Directions
1. In nonstick pan over medium heat, saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add spinach. Cook until wilted. Remove vegetables from pan onto plate.
2. Meanwhile, stir sage and salt into mashed squash (season to taste). Heat in microwave to warm through. Place on top of cooked spinach and onion.
3. Lastly, fry egg in same pan used for onion and spinach to your desired doneness. Place on top of squash.
4. Enjoy!

Taco Soup

January seems to be the coldest month of the year in South Dakota, so a warm bowl of soup for dinner is always the perfect answer! This recipe is best described as a soupy queso filled with smokey Mexican flavors.

Taco Soup
Yield: Crock Pot Recipe

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork sausage
2 small onions, chopped
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
2 (10 oz) cans Rotel
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups chicken broth

Directions
1. Place cream cheese, Rotel, and seasonings into slow cooker.
2. Brown ground beef until no longer pink. Ladle beef into slow cooker.
3. Brown sausage until no longer pink. Reserve about 1 Tbsp sausage grease (discard the rest). Ladle sausage into slow cooker.
4. Saute onion in reserved grease until tender. Ladle into slow cooker.
5. Pour chicken broth over mixture. Stir to combine.
6. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. Stir before serving.
7. Garnish individual servings with shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or crushed tortilla chips.

Notes
* For low carb or keto version, omit sauteed onions.
* To serve as an appetizer: add only 1-2 cups of chicken broth instead of 4 and it becomes a warm dip.

Recipe adapted from Beyer Beware.

Squash Casserole

I first started making this dish when my in-laws had an over-abundance of yellow squash in their garden one year, and I needed to figure out a way to use up all those veggies besides just slicing them and eating them raw (with dip, of course!). It's now become a staple at our house, and I purposely buy yellow squash just to make it!

Here's a look at the "finished" product (prior to baking), all assembled and ready to go into the oven.

Good thing I took the above photo, because as soon as the casserole came out of the oven, my family was ready to eat dinner! I served it alongside pork tenderloin and carrots cooked in a separate crock pot. Here's a look at what was leftover.

Squash Casserole
Yield: about 8 side dish servings

Ingredients
Main Dish:

• 1 lb yellow squash (2-3 medium) - peeled, seeded, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 egg, room temperature
• seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, Captain Mike’s, etc.)

Topping:

• 1/4 cup shredded cheese
• 2 Tbsp Kraft Parmesan cheese (we call it shaky cheese at our house!)
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Directions

1. Steam squash, onion, and garlic in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours, or until tender. Drain off excess liquid. Use immersion blender, leaving smooth or chunky texture, to taste. Beat egg and slowly whisk into veggies (important so it won't cook!). Mix in additional ingredients.
2. Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with additional cheeses and parsley.
3. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, or until cheese on top turns golden brown. Serve hot from the oven and enjoy!

Notes

• Zucchini can be used in place of yellow squash, or try a combination of the two! Acorn squash also works well. Really, any savory squash will do!
• I use a four cheese Mexican blend because it melts nicely. Colby Jack or any other soft cheese blend would work well, too.
• The dairy free version of this recipe can be found here.

Recipe adapted from Genius Kitchen.

Zucchini Pizza

One of the hardest parts of eating gluten free is having to give up the good old standby: pizza. But let me back up for a minute. Remember how I mentioned in a previous post that my in-laws grow such a bountiful garden in Minnesota? Well, zucchini is another vegetable that they always have in abundant supply and luckily they are willing to share! So when I was talking to my friend, Steph, at playgroup one day about ways to cook with the zucchini, she shared this recipe with me. (I can only bake so many loaves of zucchini bread!) At the time, I was not eating gluten free. (Maybe it was foreshadowing?!) Fast forward to now, this dish satisfies my pizza craving!

Here's a look at the crust after the first round in the oven. I'm pretty sure I could just cut it up into slices and eat it as is! As a matter of fact, this could actually be a great appetizer recipe to bake in mini muffin cups for bite-sized portions that are perfect for hungry guests around the holidays.

A nice cross-section of the dish shows the zucchini crust from earlier on the bottom, the meat, onion and tomato sauce mixture in the middle, and a thick gooey layer of melted cheese on the top (my favorite!).

(Note: I didn't have a green pepper on hand, as called for in the recipe, when I made this for dinner, but it greatly adds to the dish flavor-wise, so I will make sure to pick one up the next time I make it.)

And last, but not least, the food on the plate! I'll admit that it's not too pretty to look at (we just scooped it out of the pan with a large serving spoon), but it is oh-so-delicious to eat (I promise!).

Zucchini Pizza
Yield: 9x13 pan

Ingredients
4 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini (about 2 small)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 tsp oregano
green pepper, chopped (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Squeeze excess moisture from zucchini using paper towel. (May need to do this a couple times.)
3. Combine zucchini with eggs, parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Press into greased 9x13 pan. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook beef and onion. Add tomato sauce and oregano. Spoon over cooked zucchini layer. Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with chopped green pepper, if using.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Eggroll in a Bowl

Egg roll wrappers are typically made with wheat, so if you're craving delicious Chinese takeout, try this low carb substitute to satisfy your taste buds!

Eggroll in a Bowl

Ingredients
1 lb ground sausage
16 oz bagged coleslaw mix
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce*
1 tsp ginger
sliced green onion, for garnish

Directions
1. Brown sausage in large, deep skillet over medium heat.
2. Combine garlic, soy sauce, and ginger in a bowl; set aside.
3. Once sausage is cooked through, add coleslaw mix and stir to combine.
4. Pour soy sauce mixture into skillet and stir for about 5 minutes, or until cabbage is wilted but still a bit crunchy.
5. Top individual servings with sliced green onion.

*WARNING! Did you know that most soy sauce is not gluten free? Every brand is different, so be sure to check the label!

Recipe from Mostly Homemade Mom.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This dip is sure to be a crowd pleaser at your next tailgate or sports watching event! The crock pot does all the work in this appetizer recipe and frees up your oven for other cooking when you have a group of guests over.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Crock Pot Recipe

Ingredients
10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
33.5 oz jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (from Sam's Club)
8 oz can water chestnuts, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
8 oz package cream cheese
2 cups shredded Mexican four cheese blend
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup Kraft Parmesan cheese (aka shaky cheese)

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
2. Cover and cook on High for 1 hour.
3. Mix again. Reduce heat to Low for 1-2 more hours.
4. Serve with dippers, such as baby carrots, celery sticks, sliced peppers, tortilla chips, crackers, etc.