Chicken and Potato Casserole with Hot Sauce

2 large chicken breasts, cubed
6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. pepper, divided
2 tsp. garlic powder, divided
6 Tbsp. Frank's hot sauce, divided
2-3 red potatoes, cubed
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped
blue cheese, crumbled

In a small bowl, mix together the chicken, 3 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 3 Tbsp. hot sauce. Make sure the chicken is coated. Then let marinate for 1 hour in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 500 F.

Grease a medium sized baking dish. Set aside.

In a bowl, add the potatoes, 3 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 3 Tbsp. hot sauce. Make sure all the potatoes are coated. Place the potato mixture in the greased baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes of baking. Remove from the oven.

Lower oven temperature to 400 F.

Pour the marinated chicken and sauce over the potatoes. Stir to mix everything up. Cook for 20 minutes.

Add the cheddar, bacon, and onions to the top. Bake for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Sprinkle a bit of blue cheese over the top. Serve hot.

Here's the recipe original recipe I altered since recipes are more like guidelines: http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2014/11/buffalo-chicken-potato-casserole.html

BBQ Casserole with Cauliflower Crust

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 c. chicken, shredded
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. BBQ sauce
1 egg

1/2 c. mozzarella, shredded
1 Tbsp. Parmesan
Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, to taste
3/4 c. mozzarella, shredded
1 Tbsp. Parmesan

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Boil the cauliflower florets in water for 15 minutes.

While the cauliflower is boiling, cook your chicken and onion in the oil. When they are fully cooked, pour in the BBQ sauce, and turn heat to low.

Drain the cauliflower when it is done cooking. Using a ricer, rice the cauliflower into a large bowl. When you first start ricing, hold the ricer over the sink because lots of water will come out, and you don't want your crust to be too watery. If you don't have a ricer, you could use an electric hand mixer. After draining it, put the cauliflower in a bowl with about 1 Tbsp. cornstarch; beat for a few minutes until it's all broken up into tiny pieces.

Mix in the egg, 1/2 c. mozzarella, parmesan, and spices into the riced cauliflower.  Flatten out into a greased baking dish.

Bake the crust for 15 minutes.

When the crust is ready, take it out, then layer the BBQ chicken and onion mix over the top. Cover with the mozzarella and parmesan. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

As a casserole instead of pizza

Here's a link to the recipe I adapted: http://www.closetcooking.com/2013/02/cauliflower-pizza-crust-with-bbq.html

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

8 oz. spaghetti or angel hair pasta, cooked and drained

Bottom layer

1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
spices: garlic powder, black pepper, cumin, coriander, oregano, basil, onion powder (I go by taste instead of measuring)
16 oz. tomato sauce
14 oz. canned diced tomatoes
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. milk
4 oz. diced green chiles
Cooking spray
Parmesan cheese, grated

Second layer

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Set aside the drained pasta.

Steam the cauliflower in a small pot for 3 minutes. Set aside.

Cook the beef and onion together until beef is browned. I added the spices at this stage, but left them out on the counter because I added more later.

Cream Cheese layer

Add the sauce, diced tomatoes, and the steamed cauliflower to the beef. Add more of the spices if you'd like. I used a lot of garlic powder and pepper. Stir and heat through.

In a separate bowl, mix the softened cream cheese and milk. Then add in the green chiles.

Spray a baking dish with the cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of the dish.

Sauce layer

Layer the cooked noodles over the sauce.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the noodles.

Add the rest of the sauce, then top with the Parmesan cheese.

Top layer

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Here's a link to the original recipe I adapted: http://starneslifefamilylove.blogspot.com/2012/10/baked-cream-cheese-spaghetti.html

Tuna Casserole

Sauce for the casserole

oil 
1 zucchini, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
6 Tbsp. butter
1/3 c. flour
3 c. water
1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon
1 Tbsp. vegetable bouillon
1/2 c. milk
black pepper
2 cans tuna, drained
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded, plus more for the top
1 lb. cooked pasta
parmesan, shredded

In a medium pan, saute the bell pepper and zucchini together with a bit of oil until tender, about 4-5 minutes (the second time I made this, I added a dash of garlic powder, dill, and coriander to the cooking vegetables). Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the flour and the butter together over medium heat for about a minute. Then add the water to the butter and flour slowly, a cup at a time, stirring in between each addition. Then add the bouillons (I use Better Than Bouillon; a little more expensive, but the taste is, well, better than bouillon). Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the milk, black pepper, tuna, zucchini, bell pepper, and cheddar to the bouillon mixture. Stir together.

Dinner is served!

In a baking dish, add the cooked pasta, then pour the bouillon mixture over the pasta. Sprinkle the parmesan and cheddar on top. Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes. The casserole will be bubbly and golden on top.

Enchilada Casserole

Here is a link to the original recipe: http://www.squidoo.com/enchilada-casserole-recipe

And here is the recipe with the alterations I made. =)

Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
4 oz. can diced green chile peppers
1 can whole kernel corn
Cilantro, chopped
Spices: cumin, coriander, pepper
6 corn tortillas
16 oz. Enchilada sauce
Black olives, sliced
Cheddar, shredded
Pepperjack, shredded
Sour cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a baking dish.

I prefer cooked onions and garlic, so I cooked them in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Combine beans, garlic, onion, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, and corn. I sprinkled the spices over the mix. Stir it up.

Pour the enchilada sauce into a shallow bowl. Dip 3 tortillas in the sauce, then place them on the bottom of the baking dish, covering the bottom of the dish as completely as possible. Layer half of the bean mixture on top of the tortillas. Repeat the process. Drizzle the remaining enchilada sauce over the casserole. Sprinkle with black olives and cheese.

Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes or until bubbling and the cheese is melted. I served it with sour cream because sour cream is delicious.

Eggplant Casserole

Sorry for no actual measurements; I just kind of threw things together.

1 eggplant, diced
Olive oil
1/2 zucchini, sliced
Cilantro, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
Spices: pepper, garlic powder, tiny bit of cumin, dill, Italian seasoning, coriander, sage, red pepper flakes
Feta cheese

Fry the eggplant in olive oil over medium high heat in two batches. Fry for about 5 minutes, turning every once in a while. Add olive oil as needed.

In a separate pan sautee the zucchini in a tiny bit of olive oil for a few minutes, then added the cilantro (I used like 2 Tbsp-ish). Add the spices, and let that cook for a few minutes. Then add the diced tomatoes, and add more of the same spices if it needs it. Let the tomato juices boil down, about 5-8 minutes.

Put the fried eggplant in a greased casserole dish, then layer the zucchini tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle (liberally) with feta cheese. Bake at 350 F for about 25-40 minutes, or until the feta starts to brown on top. Serve immediately.

Chicken Divan

This has been one of my favorite recipes since high school thanks to Sandy Hoffman, who makes the most amazing Chicken Divan!

1-2 chicken breast, cooked and cubed

2-3 c. broccoli, steamed
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of cheddar
dash of lemon juice
1/2 c. cheddar, shredded
bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix the cream of chicken and cream of cheddar together. Add a dash of lemon juice. Layer the broccoli then chicken into a baking dish. Spread the cream mixture over the top. Add the cheddar and bread crumbs to the top. Heat for about 25 minutes or until heated all the way through.

You can serve it like it is or serve over white rice.

For a variation, I made a casserole using almost the same ingredients... We didn't have cream of cheddar, so we just grated more actual cheddar. We cooked the chicken and steamed the broccoli, then mixed them together with cooked white rice and cream of chicken in a large skillet. Then we added 1 c. cheddar, melting it into the mixture. We then put the whole thing in a baking dish, sprinkled the top with cheddar and bread crumbs. Baked at 450 F. for about 10-15 minutes. Still really good!