Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Today's offerings include Gluten-Free Vermont-Style Chicken Pot Pie and Ultimate Nachos. Enjoy!

HEARTY SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CHILI

This comes from Diana Rattray on The Spruce Eats. Diana wrote, “This easy slow cooker chicken chili is relatively light and low-calorie compared to the classic beef or pork chili. Boneless chicken breasts and a variety of canned beans make the chili super easy and convenient. If you prefer to cook the chili on the stovetop, see the tips below the recipe.

“Feel free to use boneless chicken thighs in the recipe and use the canned beans you have on hand. We used pinto beans and great northern beans, but kidney beans, navy beans, black beans and cannellini beans are all excellent alternatives.

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours; Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes; Yield: 8 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts (about 4 large chicken breast halves)

1 cup onion (chopped)

1/2 cup green bell pepper (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (minced; or 1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder)

1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans (rinsed and drained)

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans (rinsed and drained)

1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups corn kernels (frozen, thawed)

1 tablespoon chili powder (heaping)

1 teaspoon cumin (ground)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)

1 bay leaf

Garnish: sour cream or shredded cheese

Optional: chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Gather the ingredients.

Dice the chicken or cut it into strips. Put the chicken pieces in the slow cooker along with the onion, bell pepper, garlic, drained and rinsed beans, tomatoes and tomato sauce, corn, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Stir to blend ingredients.

Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, then cook on low for 3 to 4 hours longer, or until the chicken is cooked and tender. Or cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove the bay leaf.

Spoon the chili into bowls and garnish with sour cream or shredded cheese, along with chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

Serve with cornbread, crackers, or crusty bread.

Tips

Stovetop: Put ingredients in a large Dutch oven instead of a slow cooker. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.

For thicker chili, add a few tablespoons of cornmeal about 30 minutes before it's done.

Recipe Variations

Other vegetables that may be added include sliced summer squash or zucchini, shredded or julienne-cut carrots, and sliced celery.

For a little heat, add a few tablespoons of minced jalapeno pepper or serrano. Or add some crushed red pepper flakes.

Use different varieties of canned beans, or use cooked dried beans instead. See crock pot great northern beans.

Use part or all boneless chicken thighs in the recipe. Chicken thighs stay tender and juicy in the slow cooker, so they're especially good in this recipe if you will be cooking it longer than the recommended times.

CORN MUFFINS

Recipe Yield: Servings: 12

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipe/corn-muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup corn meal

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 cup skim milk

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

1 egg

Directions

Mix dry ingredients together.

Add lightly beaten egg, milk and butter.

Mix just until moist.

Bake in muffin tins lined with cupcake papers for 20 minutes at 400F.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 95; Fat: 2.5 g; Protein: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 15 g

ULTIMATE NACHOS

This comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. Extra lean ground beef

8 oz. Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 oz. Tortilla chips (about 7 cups)

1 cup shredded lettuce

1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

1 can (10 oz) Ro Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained well

Directions

Brown meat in medium skillet; drain.

Microwave Velveeta in medium microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until completely melted, stirring after 30 seconds.

Place chips on large platter; top with Velveeta, meat and remaining ingredients.

GLUTEN-FREE VERMONT-STYLE CHICKEN POT PIE

This comes from VeryWellFit, and begins, “Who doesn't love a pot pie on a cold winter's night? A creamy filling chock-full of chicken and vegetables bubbling under a golden crust. This pot pie is considered "Vermont-style" because it is made with biscuits on the top instead of a pie or pastry crust. The almond meal drop biscuits make this recipe gluten-free, and add a nice dose of protein and nutrition to the dish. Gluten-free flour or other thickener can also be used to thicken the sauce but this is completely up to you.”

Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes; Servings: 7

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter or olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green or red bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons gluten-free flour (optional)

2/3 cup unsweetened soy milk or other unsweetened milk

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup chicken broth

3 cups cooked chicken, cubed

16-ounce bag frozen green beans

1 recipe gluten-free biscuit dough

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400F.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until it begins to soften.

Add chopped pepper and black pepper, and let it cook for 1 minute. Add the gluten-free flour here if using; let it cook for 1 minute.

Add the milk, cream, and broth. If you are using guar or xanthan gum, or other specialty product, add it here. Add the chicken and then green beans. Some water will come out of the beans during cooking, so the sauce should be a little on the thick side at this point. Season to taste with salt. While the mixture heats back up, make the biscuit dough.

When the biscuit dough is made and the pot pie mixture is bubbling hot, pour the pot pie filling into a 2-quart casserole dish.

Drop spoonfuls of biscuit dough onto the top, leaving room for expansion. (If you have extra dough, you can drop spoonfuls onto a piece of aluminum foil to cook alongside the pot pie.)

Bake about 10 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.

Ingredient Substitutions and Cooking Tips

Using a thickener in this dish is optional, and there are many ingredient options when it comes to thickening a sauce. If you don't use gluten-free flour, you can go for more specialty products, such as bean flour or rice flour along with guar gum or Carb Counters ThickItUp.

Whether you use milk, cream, or unsweetened soy or almond milk is really up to you and the specific diet you are on. For the fewest carbs, combine unsweetened soy (or almond) milk with cream for richness.

For a more "chickeny" flavor, instead of the chicken broth you can use Better than Bouillion soup base; make it about double the concentration the package calls for, and don't add any salt to the filling.

And feel free to swap turkey for the chicken if you have some leftover in the fridge. And if you don't care for green beans in your pot pie try carrots and peas.

QUICK, HIGH-PROTEIN VEGGIE LASAGNA

This recipe is from Vegetarian Times, and was posted on their website on January 2, 2005. It begins, “This easy-to-follow recipe provides you with 21 grams of protein per serving, thanks to the soy "steak" strips. The lasagna can be assembled quickly since you don't have to cook the pasta first. Excerpted from Diet Simple by Katherine Tallmadge.” Makes 10 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. minced garlic

12 oz. soy "steak" strips

1/2 lb. eggplant, cubed

1 ripe tomato, cubed

1 zucchini, diced

2 1/2 cups marinara sauce

2 tsp. dried oregano, or to taste

1 9-oz. pkg. oven-ready lasagna sheets

2 cups low-fat ricotta cheese

2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray nonstick 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat, and brown garlic 2 to 3 minutes. Add soy strips, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggplant, tomato, zucchini and 1 cup of marinara sauce; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in oregano, salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, place 6 sheets of lasagna in bottom of pan, overlapping as needed to fill gaps. Spoon in eggplant mixture, and top with layer of ricotta cheese. Place remaining lasagna strips over ricotta, and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Spread remaining marinara sauce on top, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until top layer of pasta is soft. Remove and serve.

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

This comes from Nigella Lawson in The New York Times' cooking newsletter. Nigella writes, “For me, a chocolate cake is the basic unit of celebration. The chocolate Guinness cake here is simple but deeply pleasurable, and has earned its place as a stand-alone treat.” Time: 1 hour 15 minutes; one 9-inch cake or 12 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

Butter for pan

1 cup Guinness stout

10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups superfine sugar

3/4 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

For the Topping:

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

For the cake: heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

For the topping: Using a food processor or by hand, mix confectioners' sugar to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream, and mix until smooth and spreadable.

Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.