CHICKEN CORDON BLEU-WICH CASSEROLE

Can't take much credit for this one.  It was inspired by two great cooks.  One is Maria Emmerich, whose bread I used. You can find her recipe for the bread here. The other is Chef John, from foodwishes.com.  And this is my adaptation of his recipe for Chicken Cordon bleu-wiches, which looked just too, too yummy to not be made low carb and gluten free for those of us who must or choose to be so.  As rich as this was it was surprisingly low in calories and only 6 grams of useable carbs per serving!  

The hard part was coming up with a roux that I could use that was wheat free and would not lend too many carbs to the mix.  I used arrowroot starch/flour which worked wonderfully.  1 tbsp. has 6 g. carbs, and I used half the amount of how much the recipe called for in flour and it worked well.  Overall in the entire recipe it does not add that many extra carbs.  The taste was phenomenal!  My hubby even liked it! Very picky guy, and not a low carber.  He likes all the wheat and all the sugar in his stuff.  

Now you can do this Chef John's way and make individual open face sandwiches, and I think Maria's bread is excellent for this!  I've been wanting to try her bread and this was the perfect time to do so. It worked really well in this.  I made one long loaf and sliced it to about 1-inch slices to fit the bottom of my pan.  But you can butter each slice and spread it on each one as Chef John did if you please.  I wanted to make the whole thing together into a casserole.  But I am going to for sure make some more of this for sandwiches!  And I'm thinking Cordon Bleu pizza?  Just make your favorite low carb pizza crust, or use Maria's bread recipe and spread out into a pizza pan and spread this over the top.  I think it would be great how ever you choose to do it! 

So here is my adaptation of Chef John's recipe for us gluten free low carbers.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU-WICH CASSEROLE, LC, GF                      

1 loaf Maria's Healthified Sub Bread: http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/2012/07/toasted-sub-sandwich-and-panini.html

                        Chicken Cordon-Bleu Mixture

4 tablespoons  butter

1 cup  ham -- diced

1/2 cup  onion -- diced (or 1 cup)

1/4 teaspoon  dried thyme

2 tablespoons  arrowroot powder

1 cup  almond milk, unsweetened, OR other low carb milk

6 ounces  shredded Swiss cheese -- (or gruyere, or Italian blend)

1 1/2 teaspoons  dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon  nutmeg

2 cups  cooked chicken -- diced

   dash  cayenne pepper

   black pepper -- to taste

2 tablespoons  crumbs from Maria's sub bread

Earlier in the day, prepare the bread, following Maria's instructions.  http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/2012/07/toasted-sub-sandwich-and-panini.html 

Preheat oven to 425F.  In medium saute pan, add butter and melt.  Add ham and onions (I sauteed my onions seperately and sprinkled them on half of the dish at the end, since I have a son who does not like onions).  Cook on medium heat about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle in dried thyme.  Add arrowroot powder and stir and cook on med. low heat for about 3 min.  Turn off heat.  Slowly add the milk a little at a time and stir.  Turn heat back on to medium and cook and stir for about 1 to 2 minutes or until nicely thickened.  Add cheese, reserving about 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top.  Stir together until cheese melts, and add mustard, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and diced chicken.  

In bottom of a 9 x 13-inch, or 7 x 11-inch baking pan spread with butter or extra virgin olive oil.  Slice bread into slices to fit the bottom of pan.  Spread chicken cordon-bleu mixture on top of slices.  Sprinkle with black pepper and remaining cheese.  Sprinkle bread crumbs on top.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until slightly browned on top and bubbly.  Let sit outside oven for 10 minutes before serving.  

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8 Servings/Per Serving: 373 Calories; 24g Fat (56.9% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 6 g net carbs

SAVORY MEATLOAF WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

My posts have been few lately, but when I come up with something this good, I have to share it!  This was one of those spur of the moment creations that turned into a gourmet meal.  This is a very rich, savory meatloaf and gravy/sauce.  It's very filling as well served with a side of broccoli with lemon garlic butter and/or a side of mashed cauliflower.  Very low in carbs and high in nutrition as well.

I'm trying to incorporate as much gelatin in my diet as I can lately so that is the reason for the gelatin added to the sauce.  Since reading Dana Carpender's article on Hold The Toast about gelatin, it's blowing my mind too.  I'm finding since I've been adding it to whatever I can add it to, I'm having more energy and feeling just a wee bit better than usual.  And since pork rinds is a good source of gelatin, I used pork rinds in my meatloaf as a binder as well as the mushrooms.  To be honest, I hate pork rinds.  But this way they are hidden, and as long as I don't have to see or smell them, I can eat them this way.

As to an update on my nerve problem (Pudendal Nerve Neuralgia), I'm living with it, taking supplements to build up the nerve and help it work right, being careful not to do more damage to it, etc.  Most of the time my pain level since going back on the supplements I had quit, is almost nothing or tolerable anyway.  Every once in a while it acts up if I have sit too long (sitting compresses the nerve), or just did something to aggravate it.  Reading about all the people who are suffering so terribly, unspeakably, with this condition, I'm thankful I am not worse.  I count myself blessed.  Some people call it the suicide condition, because it's a unique kind of pain that is unrelenting, that is misunderstood, misdiagnosed and for many, it seems no help.  It's unbearable at it's worst.  Mine hasn't come to that place and I believe as I ask the Lord for wisdom He has given it to me.  I'm thankful for my low-carb diet, because if I were eating lots of sugar or carbs that only brings more destruction to the nerves.  So far I'm treating this without any pain meds.  At the worst I've taken an herbal muscle relaxer and upped my inositol and that has done it for me.

So enough of that! Here's the recipe!

                   
SAVORY MEATLOAF AND MUSHROOM GRAVY

1 pound  lean ground beef
1 pound  Jennie-O turkey sausage (breakfast) -- (Or pork sausage)
4 ounces  fresh mushrooms -- (8 oz container, chopped fine in food processor, divided)
1/2 cup  pork rinds -- crushed into crumbs
1/4 cup  beef stock -- (with gelatin if possible)
2 large  eggs
1 teaspoon  Season-All Seasoned Salt -- (Or your favorite seasoned salt)
1/2 teaspoon  sea salt -- (Or No-Salt)
1/2 teaspoon  onion powder
1/2 teaspoon  garlic powder
 Mushroom Gravy
1/4 cup  butter
1 tablespoon  extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces  fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon  dry red wine
1 teaspoon  minced garlic
1 teaspoon  beef bouillon -- (gluten free, msg free)
1/2 teaspoon  rosemary
1/2 cup  heavy cream
1 packet  Knox Gelatin -- softened in 2 tbsp cold water (optional) added only for nutrition, no other reason.

In large mixing bowl, mix together beef, turkey sausage OR pork sausage, 1/2 (4 oz.) of the finely chopped mushrooms, pork rinds crumbs, beef stock, eggs, seasoned salt, sea salt OR No-Salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Preheat oven to 400F.  Grease loaf pan, and spread meat loaf mixture into pan.  Bake 1 hr. or until it tests done with a meat thermometer.

While the meatloaf is baking, in large frying pan, melt butter and olive oil together.  Add the other half (4 oz.) of the finely chopped mushrooms, dry red wine and mince garlic.  Stir and cook about 5 minutes.  Add beef bouillon, rosemary, and heavy cream.  Stir together and simmer about 20 to 30 minutes on lowest heat. Stir in softened knox gelatin, if using, until dissolved.

Slice meatloaf into 8 slices, serving each slice covered with mushroom gravy.
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8 Servings/Per Serving: 445 Calories; 37g Fat (76.4% calories from fat); 23g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber