Chicken Tamale Casserole

Brian's a freak for casseroles. I don't believe he's ever met one he didn't like. I'm sure I could dream up one he would hate, but it would be tough. I've never been a fan of them due to my picky eating habits that I've grown up with. But I'm learning to like them. It helps that I'm the one making them, so I know what's in them.

It seems like I made this casserole the same week practically everyone I knew made this casserole. It is quite tasty and easy to assemble. Next time I'll add a chopped jalapeno to the base to give it some extra heat.

Chicken Tamale Casserole
Source: Tasty Kitchen as adapted from Cooking Light

1 cup Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend, Divided
1/3 cups Milk
1 whole Egg
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/8 teaspoon Ground Red Pepper
1 box Corn Muffin Mix (such As Jiffy)
15 ounces, weight Cream Style Corn
4 ounces, weight Chopped Green Chilies (drained)
10 ounces, weight Red Enchilada Sauce
2 cups Shredded Chicken (I Use Rotisserie)
1/2 cups Sour Cream, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup cheese, milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn muffin mix, corn, and green chilies; stir until moist. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes. Pierce surface liberally with a fork. Pour enchilada sauce over the top. Top with chicken and remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top if you prefer.


Printable version

Marsala Chicken-and-Mushroom Casserole

Apparently I'm on a casserole kick this week. I blame it on work.

You see, Brian and I work with kids. He's an adolescent substance abuse and mental health counselor. I work with youth who are at-risk of being involved in the juvenile court system, or have already been placed in a correctional-type facility and I'm the parole officer once they get out. We never have a dull moment at work, but at the same time, we're usually stressed beyond belief. His work schedule has him working until 8pm (at the earliest) on Mondays and Wednesdays, so I'm constantly trying to find something that I can make but that will still be good by the time he gets home.

So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :) This was really, really easy and tasty. The rice takes on a risotto type texture and has a nice flavor to it.

Marsala Chicken and Mushroom Casserole

Adapted from: Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine, April 2009

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
16 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup marsala wine or white wine
1/2 - 1 cup heavy cream (You know you want to use the full cup. Go for it!)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper
1 cup uncooked, long-grain rice
2 packed cups coarsely chopped rotisserie chicken
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat until just melted. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and stir in for 1 minute. Stir in the marsala and cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water, the parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

2.In a greased 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole, spread the rice in an even layer; top with the chicken. Pour the mushroom gravy on top. Cover snugly with foil and bake until bubbly, about 35 minutes. Discard the foil, sprinkle the parmesan on top and bake for 5 minutes more.

Chili and Cheddar Bow Tie Casserole

As I've mentioned before, Brian's a sucker for a casserole. Throw the word "cheese" in the title and he's game. I've gotten to where I'll make up a name for something that he might not eat and as long as I mention cheese, he's good to go.

I honestly have no idea how this casserole tastes. (Just keeping it real.) I wasn't hungry the night I made it, but Brian ate all of it. Yes, all of it. So judging by that, it must taste pretty good!

Chili and Cheddar Bow Tie Casserole
Source: Cooking Light

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Ingredients
1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced Canadian bacon (about 2 ounces)
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
8 cups hot cooked farfalle (bow tie pasta) or other short pasta
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.

Remove 1 teaspoon adobo sauce and 1 chile from canned chiles; mince the chile. Place remaining sauce and chiles in a zip-top plastic bag; freeze for another use.

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and bacon; sauté 4 minutes. Add onions; sauté 1 minute. Stir in the adobo sauce, minced chile, flour, chili powder, salt, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Gradually add milk; cook until thick and bubbly (about 4 minutes), stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups cheese and cilantro, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to pan; toss well.

Spoon the pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over pasta mixture. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until browned.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 369 (30% from fat)
Fat: 12.4g (sat 7.4g,mono 1.6g,poly 1g)
Protein: 23.2g
Carbohydrate: 43g
Fiber: 3.1g
Cholesterol: 44mg
Iron: 1.6mg
Sodium: 758mg
Calcium: 472mg

Weight Watchers Points: 8

Poppy Seed Chicken

I had never had poppy seed chicken until I was in college. The cooks at my sorority house knew how to throw down on some poppy seed chicken. We would watch the menu calendar and hope and pray for them to make it, since it was pretty much the one thing that tasted really, really good.

Whenever our main cook retired, she made the seniors a cookbook of all of her recipes, including Poppy Seed Chicken. Since I wasn't a senior that year, I sadly didn't get a copy of the book. However, my mom had been holding out on me all of these years and had a recipe of her very own. It pretty much tastes the same, but my mom's has rice added into it.

Brian has said before that he would live on a deserted island if he had a lifetime supply of this casserole. The best part of it is the Ritz cracker topping. Also, you can get low-fat soup and sour cream to make it somewhat healthy. Also, normally I would advise to cooking with a wine/sherry that you would drink. However, in this dish, use the cheap, cooking sherry. It's more rustic that way.

Poppy Seed Chicken
Source: My mom

6 chicken breasts (Or a Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers (One sleeve from the box)
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup Holland House Cooking Sherry
3/4 cup rice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook rice in 1 1/2 cups hot broth or water. Once rice is cooked, spread rice in bottom of a 9x13 pan. Boil and bone chicken breasts, or shred the meat from a rotisserie chicken. Put chicken on top of rice layer.

Mix soup, sour cream, and sherry in a medium sized bowl. Pour on top of chicken. Top with crushed crackers and poppy seeds. Pour melted butter over the crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Deep Dish Pizza Casserole

Two Weight Watcher Friendly posts in two days?! I'm on a roll!

Brian's a fanatic for casseroles. If I mention the word casserole, he'll eat it. If you've read my blog before, you might have picked up that I'm a somewhat picky eater. Casseroles have never been my thing because I end up picking it apart once it hits my plate. Making casseroles have somewhat helped me get over my picky-ness because at least I know what's going into the dish.

This casserole is very versatile and you can change it up to match any of your family's likes or dislikes. We added turkey pepperoni and mushrooms. I cooked the mushrooms after cooking the beef and then added the beef back into it once the mushrooms had browned and softened.

Deep Dish Pizza Casserole
Adapted from Weight Watchers 5 ingredient 15 minute cookbook

1 pound ground round
1 (15 oz) can tomato Sauce seasoned with Italian Seasoning
Cooking spray
1 (10 oz) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
Optional: chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped green peppers, black olives , turkey pepperoni, fat free ham, mushrooms

Preheat oven to 425. Cook meat in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat until browned, stirring until it crumbles. Drain, return to skillet, add tomato sauce and cook until heated.Coat a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll pizza crust dough and press into bottom and halfway up sides of the baking dish. Top the pizza crust with meat mixture. Add optional ingredients. (figure extra points)

Bake uncovered at 425 for 12 minutes. Top with cheese and bake 5 minutes or until crust browns and cheese melts. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

8 servings @ 6 points each