After having some great (but not very healthy) Nachos Grande at a local restaurant, I decided to try to create a healthier version at home. It’s a pretty versatile recipe, so mix it up with whatever you have on hand. I’m sure peppers, corn, and olives would all be great in it. I like to use up beans and meat leftover from previous meals too, which makes for endless combinations.
Saute onions and garlic in butter until translucent. Add meat and homeade taco seasoning and cook until meat is browned. Next add tomatoes and beans and cook until warmed.
Preheat the oven to 350. Then spread 1/2 of the tortilla chips in the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Pour 1/2 of the meat mixture on top. Cover with 3/4 cup of cheese. Repeat layers. Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.
While the casserole is baking, mash the avocado with the fork and mix with the lactofermented salsa.
When casserole is done, top with shredded lettuce, guacamole and kefir/sour cream. (You could also serve any of these on the side, if you happen to have any picky individuals at your house like I do at mine!)
Just like in the animated movie, this ratatouille is visually pleasing and has the flavor to back it up.
Slice the tomatoes in half. Lay them face down on a cookie sheet. Broil for 5-7 minutes until lightly blackened.
Stew tomatoes on the stove for 15 minutes to slightly reduce. Add the onion and garlic.
Let the tomatoes cool slightly. Blend the tomatoes until lightly pureed.
Preheat the oven to 375*. Slice the zucchini, squash and peppers on a mandoline (or slice thinly with a knife).
Pour the tomato puree into a 9×13 pan. Arrange the zucchini, squash and peppers in a circular pattern around the pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. (sprinkle with cheese if you want)
Cover with parchment paper cut to fit the dish.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. Remove the parchment paper ten minutes before taking the dish out of the oven.
I created this recipe as a way to get my boys to devour all the bountiful greens we had in our garden. It’s similar to a quiche, but they love the idea of having “pie” for dinner.
Preheat the oven to 400. Line a 9″ pie pan with pie crust recipe. Pre-bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, sautee the onion and garlic in butter until soft and fragrant. Add the Swiss Chard, tomato, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook until the chard greens are wilted and the stems softened.
Beat eggs together. Add cooked vegetable mixture and cheese to the eggs. Stir and pour into pre-baked crust. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the center of the pie is set. Cover crust edges with foil if they start to brown before the center is cooked.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Cut, serve and enjoy!
The best part of a taco is the topping, right? So do it up, make it grand. Bake and serve to a crowd, and watch them ooh and ahh.
Layer everything into a 9×13 pan in the order listed in the ingredients.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350.
It is very tasty to serve this with some avocado slices
Carrots, summer squash, green beans, onions, and a bouquet of herbs really got along nicely in your trusty cast iron skillet. Add a bit of healthy fat to help your body absorb all the nutrients these beauts have to offer along with some protein thrown in and you’ve got yourself a complete meal of summery goodness. And talk about easy on the ol’ grocery budget. Succotash was popular during the Great Depression for a reason. This can also be made in your cast iron on the grill.
Brown sausage in a large pan (I used a 10-inch cast iron skillet)
Meanwhile, while the sausage is browning (be sure to stir it occasionally), prepare the veggies: peel and dice the onion and carrots. Snap the ends off the green beans and snap or cut them into thirds. Cut the potatoes into 6 wedges each and the squash into coins chopped in half. Mince the garlic.
Once the sausage is done browning, add all the veggies to the pan, give it a mix, and place the herb bouquet on the top. The flavor will infuse into the vegetables. Place a lid on the pan, set the burner to medium (maybe slightly higher, but not too high), and allow to cook until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the mascarpone or cream cheese into tablespoon-sized slices so they will easily melt when stirred into the dish.
Turn burner off, remove and compost herb bouquet, and mix in salt, pepper, and sliced mascarpone or cream cheese.
Sprinkle grated cheese on top and serve warm.
Thin crepes are layered with crispy bacon, sauteed Crimini mushrooms, spinach and cheese and then baked to create a delectable casserole that is both pleasing to the eye and the tummy. My children do not like mushrooms and always balk at their spinach, but they happily ate (and asked for seconds) this casserole.
I made these with sourdough crepes from GNOWFGLINS eCourse, but you could use coconut flour crepes for grain free option.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 inch pie dish.
Cook the bacon until crispy over low heat to render out the fat. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
Pour out all but 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon grease and save for another use. While bacon is cooling, add onions to the bacon grease, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and saute until translucent. Add chopped mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes or until mushrooms have shrunk and are softened. Remove from heat.
Crumble the cooled bacon and add back into the pan. Stir in the chopped spinach. Taste and add additional sea salt if desired, but remember that you will be adding cheese into the layers so be careful not to over salt.
Place one crepe on the bottom of the dish and spread a heaping tablespoon or so of the mixture over the crepe. Then sprinkle cheese over that. Continue this layering until all crepes are used. Sprinkle the top with any remaining cheese.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm (obviously there will be a couple of wedge shaped pieces).
To freeze: Layer the casserole as directed into a freezer-safe, oven-safe glass storage container and place in freezer. Bake frozen casserole with a lid at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour. Remove lid 15 minutes before removing to brown the cheese on top if desired.
I first heard of this dish many years ago, watching a PBS cooking television show. My father decide right then and there that we just had to try it. This then became a go to dinner in the Biasi household. And why wouldn’t it? Bacon, potatoes, cabbage fried in all that bacony goodness. Yep it is now my families’ favorite dish.
In a cast-iron skillet, render chopped bacon over medium heat.
In a separate pot, boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender.
Drain and then mash by adding milk and butter.
While potatoes are boiling and bacon is rendering, slice cabbage.
Once bacon is golden brown and most of the rendering has been done, add cabbage and saute until tender. (The cabbage will squeak while cooking in the grease).
Then add potatoes to cabbage/bacon mixture. Toss until combined (the frying potatoes make a bubbling sound).
Serve immediately.
This recipe is based off of an old favorite of ours from The Rachel Ray show called “Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes.” It is so easy to make and has so much flavor! Best part - this version is grain free and GAPS legal!
Cut spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds, and place cut side down on a cookie sheet filled with an inch of water. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool (I like to do this early in the day before dinner). Place butter in a 9×13 pan and set in oven while it preheats to 400 degrees. When oven is preheated, remove the pan and add the tomatoes and garlic. Stir to coat with butter, then sprinkle salt on top. Roast until the tomatoes begin to burst (10-15 minutes). Remove from oven and carefully smash tomatoes with a fork. Gently fold in spaghetti squash (use a fork to scrape squash into spaghetti-like strings), basil, and cheese. Add salt as you go, to taste. If desired, top with additional cheese and set in the still-warm oven to melt.
Great way to use up all those summer zucchini’s!
Press grated zucchini between paper towels or cheese cloth to remove moisture. Combine zucchini, eggs, 1 cup mozzarella , Parmesan and flour in a bowl. Stir well.
Spread in a greased 9X13 pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven, brush with oil and broil 5 inches from heat for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, spread on sauce and top with remaining mozzarella, oregano and red pepper.
Bake uncovered at 350 for additional 20 minutes, lowering rack back down to the center of the oven.
Serve with an Italian salad and a big chunk or rustic Artisan bread, just like the Italians!
Here’s a new, in-season idea than can be a great side dish to take to the next potluck (or even a holiday feast). A little side note: my kids had a much easier time eating their greens in this recipe. It’s amazing what a little cheese can do, isn’t it?
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put potatoes and onions in a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes, sprinkle in thyme and peppers, and stir to incorporate.
Bake for 20 minutes or until potatoes are slightly brown around the edges.
While potatoes bake, if you plan on using bacon, brown it now. Set aside.
Semi-finely chop broccoli and cabbage. Grate carrots.
Some might choose to use the skillet the bacon was browned in with a little bit of the grease reserved to stir fry the broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms. Others might want to use a little olive oil instead of bacon grease. Stir fry over medium/high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies are the consistency you want them. Add garlic and stir to incorporate.
Once the potatoes are done, layer the stir fry, then the cheese, then the optional bacon over the taters. Put dish back into oven and broil for 2-3 minutes, just to melt the cheese. Serve warm with an optional dollop of creme fraiche on top to add some creamy, probiotic-rich goodness to aid digestion.
This is a great recipe for using your Thanksgiving leftovers. You can use cooked chicken or turkey, and any cooked rice that you have on hand.
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
In a large bowl place cooked poultry and rice.
In a skillet heat 2T olive oil, saute onion and garlic. Add broccoli and chicken stock, cover with a lid and cook until broccoli is tender. Add broccoli mixture to bowl.
In a separate pot, heat 2T olive and 2T butter. Add 4T flour and stir to combine and make a roux. Add 2 cup of milk to the roux, and cook until thickened (coats a back of the spoon). Stir continually. Add the shredded cheeses and cook until melted. Pour cheese sauce in the poultry/broccoli bowl. Stir until all is combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
Pour mixture into a 9X13 baking dish, and bake for 30 minutes.
A wonderful, hearty comfort food for a cold day! You can use any combination of vegetable you have on hand. You can also replace the chicken with leftover turkey!
The morning before you want to serve this, prepare your topping. Cut cold butter into flour until crumbly, then add milk and apple cider vinegar. Mix well, cover loosely, and let sit at room temperature the rest of the day, until you are ready to use it.
When ready to bake, melt butter for the filling, and saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Stir in arrowroot, salt and pepper, then slowly add broth and milk, and let simmer until thick. Turn off heat and stir in chicken and veggies. Pour into a deep 9×13 casserole. Add salt and pepper to topping and drop by spoonfuls over the filling. Bake at 425 25-30 minutes, then let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.