Easy Cheesy Chili Mac…low carb comfort food!

Easy Cheesy Chili Mac

1 pound lean ground beef 

1/2  medium onion, diced

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Italian style stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup  sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper, to taste

8 ounces dried Dreamfields Penne Rigate (2 cups)

 

Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown beef until no longer pink.  Drain fat.  Stir in tomatoes with juice, 1 cup Cheddar cheese, sour cream, chili powder and garlic powder.

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Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

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Add chili mixture to pasta and stir until pasta is coated.  Place in a 2 qrt baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.   Bake at 350º for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Serves 4

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Linking with…

Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon

 

 

Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon

1 head of cauliflower

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup real bacon pieces

1 tablespoon minced or powdered garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the cauliflower and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Place in an 8 x 8 baking dish.  In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and seasonings; pour over the cauliflower.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and real bacon pieces.

Bake at 425º about 25-30 minutes, stirring the cauliflower every 10 minutes.  Roast until it is browned on the edges and fork tender.  Sprinkle with the shredded cheddar and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until melted.

Serve as a side dish with your favorite meat.

Cream Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Peppers aka Poppers!

Previously I posted my recipe for Poppers.  In fact, it was

one of my first foodie blog posts!  I’ve posted several

recipes since then and hope you’ve enjoyed them.

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Here’s another way to make poppers.  They’re delicious

and naturally low carb!

Instead of wrapping the stuffed peppers in bacon…add the

cooked bacon to the cream cheese stuffing!

Easy-peasy!

 

Here’s what you’ll need…

oops!  Forgot to include the bacon.

 

Soften the cream cheese and add the rest of the ingredients.

 

 

Stuff the peppers and place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with the

parmesan cheese.

 

yum-yum!

I’m one of those cooks that rarely ever measures anything so it does make

it hard to pass on the recipe.  But, looking at my

previous Poppers recipe, I’d say I used about

the same amount of ingredients.

Poppers

Jalepeno peppers (cut open and remove all seeds)

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

seasoning such as Soul Seasoning or Seasoning Salt, garlic, Old Bay, etc

2 green onions, sliced

6 -8 slices bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled

Parmesan cheese

Mix the cheeses.  Add the seasonings, onions and bacon.  Fill the peppers with the mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake in a 375º oven for about 20-30 minutes.  Keep a check on them after 20 minutes and bake until the peppers look done and the filling is all melty and gooey.  Cool and enjoy!  I served these with Ranch Dressing.

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In case you’re wondering about my readers…here’s the results! Apparently readers from all over enjoy low carb and Southern cooking!  Thanks to all who participated.

Canada – 2

Florida – 2

West Virginia-2

Georgia-1

Hawaii-1

Indiana – 1

Kentucky – 1

Mississippi – 1

Pennsylvania – 1

Texas – 1

Washington – 1

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WW Au Gratin Potatoes

Last year at this time, I was trying the Weight Watcher diet.

As usual, I was off on a hunt for the best recipes.  Being a potato lover, this recipe immediately grabbed my attention.

It was very good!

My problem is…I just can’t eat sugar or starch without it showing up…so I eventually went back to low carb.

If you are one that can do WW’s successfully, then this is a great recipe to try.

(Click on the picture below to lead you to the actual post and recipe.)

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Today I am linking to

Cheesy Sausage Balls

The high carb version of this recipe has been a family favorite for years now.

Usually we get together the night before Thanksgiving or Christmas to cook for the holiday family dinner.  While we’re putting Mom’s Potato Salad together and making her fabulous Coconut Cream Pie, we stick a pan of Sausage Balls in the oven to snack on.  It’s become a family tradition.

 

Having a little extra sausage on hand, I attempted a low carb version of this easy recipe.

 

They turned out fairly tasty, tho I think I can back off the onion powder next time or leave it out all together.

 

All you need is sausage, grated cheese, and something to bind it all together.  I’ve read where some use eggs and others use crushed pork skins.  I used a bit of Carbquik (similar to Bisquik and can be purchased at Netrition) and some parmesan cheese to make up the dry ingredients. 

 

It worked and they were quite tasty, although they didn’t have the traditional sausage ball taste, because of the added spices, I think.  So in the future, I think I’ll skip the spices and hope for that famous sausage ball flavor.

Other tasty low carb snacks and appetizers:

Deep Fried Cauliflower

Aussie Squash Fries

Bacon-wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Cheesy Sausage Balls

1 lb. sausage
12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of your choice low carb baking mix, such as Carbquik and parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 º F.  Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.   Mix well with your fingers. The mixture may very crumbly.  Form into 1 inch balls, squeezing the mixture so it holds together, then rolling it between the palms of your hands to form balls.  Place the balls on the baking sheet.  Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.  To prevent sticking, move the balls with a spatula halfway through cooking or use parchment paper to line your pan.  Remove from oven and serve warm.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

I used Low Carb Chic’s recipe, except I used diced chiles instead of whole.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

1/2- cup heavy cream
1-cup sharp cheddar cheese
1-cup pepper jack cheese
3-eggs
2-small cans of whole green chilies
Salt to taste.

Drain the chilies.  Layer chilies and pepper jack cheese.  Mix the eggs and cream.  Pour over the chilies and cheese mixture and top with the cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350º for 20 minutes.

Cheesy Potato Pie

This pie is a result of a “clean out the fridge” night.

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Cheesy Potato Pie

3 lb.  potatoes, peeled & sliced
3/4 stick butter
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. cream
2 eggs
1/2 sm. onion, chopped
Salt & pepper
1 c. Cheddar cheese (1/4 of a pound), grated
1/2cup mozzerella, grated

2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

2  tbsp. bread crumbs
2 tbsp. butter, cut in pieces

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Butter a glass pie dish. Put potatoes in water and bring to a boil, until potatoes are tender. Drain. Place in buttered pie dish. Dot with butter.  Top with diced tomatoes.  Mix cream, eggs, salt, and pepper.  Add onions. Spoon mixture over potato slices.  Spread evenly. Cover with cheeses and crumb mixture and dot with butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

3 Ingredient Cheesy Burger Skillet (low carb)

Three ingredients! 

That’s all it takes to make this delicious low carb dish. 

3 Ingredient Cheesy Burger Skillet
 
1 lb. Ground Beef, cooked and drained
1 can french style green beans, drained
4 oz.  shredded cheese
 
After browning and draining the grease off the ground beef, add the green beans; stir.  Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes or until grean beans appear tender.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.  Cover for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

*I know I’m bad, but this  is really good with Velveeta cheese, too.