recipe

Name: Low Carb Cajun Shrimp Casserole
Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients: 1/2 small onion ((diced)); 1/2 green bell pepper ((diced)); 2 stalks celery ((finely chopped)); 12 oz cauliflower rice; 1/4 cup roasted red pepper ((diced)); 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream; 12 oz medium cooked shrimp ((peeled and deveined)); 1 tsp cajun seasoning; 1 tsp worcestershire; 2 tbsp butter or olive oil; 1/2 tsp pepper

Low Carb Cajun Shrimp Casserole

December 18, 2018 by Stacy Craft 3 Comments

A low carb cajun shrimp casserole that contains the cajun holy trinity and plump shrimp in a rich and creamy sauce over cauliflower rice.

Holidays at my Granny’s house were always special. She loved cooking and I remember going to her house at Christmas and eating a gorgeous shrimp casserole and her famous coconut cake that looked beautiful and tasted amazing.

My Granny has been in heaven for many years now and oh how I wish that I could talk to her again. To let her know that as an adult, I share her love for cooking and baking. So when I found her Shrimp Vegetable Casserole in an old church cook book the other day, I just had to make it.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Granny’s Shrimp and Vegetable Casserole

Old church cookbooks are just an absolute dream. I love the classic recipes and simplicity of the books. No pictures. Just simple recipes written out by the ladies of the church. Their names signed with pride under each casserole or icebox pie.

Now, I’m not sure how my beautiful southern grandmother would feel about me changing up this recipe to make it keto and low carb friendly. Cauliflower rice did not exist when she was here on Earth with us and I have a feeling it would not have made her must eat list. However, she did like to tell you about her diet. She called it “reducing” so maybe she would have enjoyed it. I took a risk by creating a low carb cajun shrimp casserole inspired by her recipe and it turned out great.

Don’t get me wrong, I love her version with some delicious white rice to soak up that decadent shrimp sauce. But I can only enjoy that about once a year if I want to fit into my jeans that I have been working so hard to get in after baby #2.

Low Carb Cajun Shrimp Casserole

After a few changes to Granny’s original recipe, this easy low carb cajun shrimp casserole will meet your keto diet requirements and leave you feeling happy instead of deprived. And it is pretty enough with the red peppers and green celery and bell pepper to serve at your Christmas holiday party.

Start by thawing your shrimp if it is frozen. I bought a bag of medium size precooked, peeled and deveined shrimp from Aldi to make life very easy.

Prep the Holy Trinity

Saute the celery, onion and bell pepper in butter or olive oil. Cook it until your desired tenderness because the oven time is short and it will not soften up much during the baking time.

Cook your cauliflower rice. You can buy the steam bag and do it in the microwave or cook it on the stove top. Whichever method you choose, make sure you drain it well so that your low carb cajun shrimp casserole doesn’t get watery. I also like to toss the cooked “rice” with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. It is not necessary but I feel like it helps to make it taste a little less cauliflower-y.

Combine shrimp, sauteed vegetables and roasted red bell peppers and mix well.

In a second bowl, combine the mayo, heavy whipping cream, worcestershire, pepper and cajun seasoning.

Mix 1/2 of the mayo sauce with the cauliflower rice. Spread the rice evenly into an 8×8 or 9×9 greased casserole dish. Pour the shrimp mixture on top of the cauliflower rice. Pour the remaining sauce over the top. Do not mix the layers.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

My Granny topped her casserole with bread crumbs and butter. In my low carb cajun shrimp casserole, I didn’t use bread crumbs because I am following a low carb diet. I actually meant to try it with crushed pork rinds on top but I forgot.

I did top my low carb cajun shrimp casserole with a little grated parm right before serving. Everything is better with a little cheese right?

Cooking with Old Recipes

I had such a fun time cooking my Granny’s shrimp casserole. Cooking this old family recipe gave me time to reflect and remember my sweet grandmother.

I have such fond childhood memories of sitting on the counter in her kitchen. She always had cookies or a cake for us to make with her when we visited. This was back when you could eat raw cookie dough or cake batter and not worry about dying of Salmonella (ignorance is bliss right?).

She would tell you to pour in some flour or sugar. “That’ll do” was her response when we had gotten enough of the ingredients into the bowl. To this day, I don’t know how she could eyeball the correct amounts! I can’t cook a thing without a measuring cup.

My Granny was a wife and loving mother of 4 boys, a grandmother to 5 and now has countless great grandchildren to look down on from heaven. She was a retired teacher and a member of Richland Presbyterian. She loved to cook, sew us big, poufy dresses, and work in her yard.

In loving memory of Geraldine F. Tabb

Low Carb Cajun Shrimp Casserole

Keyword

Keto, Main Entree, Trim Healthy Mama S

Servings

Ingredients

1/2 small onion (diced)
1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
12 oz cauliflower rice
1/4 cup roasted red pepper (diced)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
12 oz medium cooked shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp worcestershire
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper

Keyword

Keto, Main Entree, Trim Healthy Mama S

Servings

Ingredients

1/2 small onion (diced)
1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
12 oz cauliflower rice
1/4 cup roasted red pepper (diced)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
12 oz medium cooked shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp worcestershire
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute the celery, onions and bell pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil until soft.
Cook the cauliflower rice in microwave or stove top. (I mix a tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper). Drain any water well.
In a medium bowl, combine the cooked and peeled shrimp, sauteed vegetables and roasted red peppers. Mix well.
In a second small bowl, combine mayo, heavy whipping cream, worcestershire, pepper and cajun seasoning.
Mix 1/2 of the may sauce with the cooked cauliflower rice and spread evenly into an 8x8 or 9x9 greased casserole dish.
Pour the shrimp and vegetable mixture on top of the cauliflower rice.
Drizzle the remaining mayo sauce over the top of the shrimp. Do not mix the layers.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Serve with grated parmesan on top.

Low Carb Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

November 26, 2018 by Stacy Craft 14 Comments

These low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas will have you feeling anything but deprived! Rich, cheesy and delicious Mexican food without the carbs!

These low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas are smothered in a 2 ingredient cheesy queso. This recipe was inspired by my most popular Keto recipe on this blog – salsa verde chicken with cauliflower rice. That recipe has been pinned over 100,000 times so I wanted to stuff that recipe into low carb tortilla and call it an enchilada! And since i have already made it into nachos, enchiladas seemed like the right thing to do.

I love Mexican food. I often joke that I could eat it for breakfast. And the couple of times that we have vacationed to Mexico, I have done just that. So when I started my low carb journey, my first worry aside from dessert was my beloved tacos and enchiladas.

It is so nice to be able to eat creamy chicken enchiladas without any guilt. I ate two tonight and just had to share this simple and delicious recipe with you.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Low Carb Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

I have been doing the Trim Healthy Mama diet on and off for the past 9 months. The hardest thing to me about the lifestyle is convenience foods. Lots of people tend to make eating low carb complicated when it doesn’t have to be.

These 5 ingredient low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas use the grocery store’s best low carb convenience item as it’s star ingredient. A rotisserie chicken. If you eat low carb or are on THM and you need a quick and easy on plan meal, pick up a rotisserie chicken!

^I forgot to put the cream cheese in the picture. That is what cooking with a 4 year old and an 13 month old will do to you.

With just a few minutes of prep work and then 20 minutes in the oven, you will have a delicious plate of comfort food that I promise you would eat if you were not on a “diet.”

Prepare the Queso

The biggest key to a smooth queso is letting your cream cheese soften before heating it. You can tell from looking at my pictures that I was impatient tonight and did not let the cream cheese soften enough.

If you don’t let it soften up long enough, you may have trouble getting it to melt completely. Don’t worry if this happens, it might not be as pretty but it still tastes great!

After your cream cheese is soft, add it to a small saucepan over medium/low to medium heat with the salsa verde. Allow the cream cheese to melt, stirring occasionally. It usually takes about 10 minutes.

Assemble the Green Salsa Enchiladas

When I make these low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas, I do not measure the filling. I just toss it in and roll it up. However, I will try and give approximate amounts if you prefer to see a measurement.

Add about 2 tablespoons of shredded chicken, a tablespoon of shredded cheese and a drizzle of the cream cheese and green salsa queso to each low carb tortilla. Roll up and place in your prepared casserole dish seam side down.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, uncovered. Top the enchiladas with sour cream and cilantro when served. We also ate these with a simple avocado side salad.

My husband is not usually thrilled about leftovers but he asked the next day if we had any more enchiladas! I hope you try these low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas. They were a great change up for us from all the Turkey and dressing that we at last week during Thanksgiving.

Low Carb Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Cuisine

Keto/Low Carb/THM S

Keyword

Keto, Main Entree

Prep Time

Cook Time

Servings

Ingredients

2 cup Shredded Chicken (I use rotisserie)
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 block Cream cheese softened
1 15 oz Jar salsa verde
8 low carb tortillas

Cuisine

Keto/Low Carb/THM S

Keyword

Keto, Main Entree

Prep Time

Cook Time

Servings

Ingredients

2 cup Shredded Chicken (I use rotisserie)
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 block Cream cheese softened
1 15 oz Jar salsa verde
8 low carb tortillas

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray.
Place the softened cream cheese and the jar of salsa into a medium saucepan.
Melt on medium low for about ten minutes or until the cream cheese is completely melted.
Spread some of the salsa verde/cream cheese queso into the baking dish and spread to lightly cover the bottom.
Place one tortilla on a plate, add a couple of tablespoons of shredded chicken to the center, add a tablespoon or two of shredded cheese and drizzle some of the salsa verde/cream cheese queso down the middle.
Roll up the enchilada and place seam side down into the baking dish.
Continue making the remaining 7 enchiladas.
Top the enchiladas with the remaining salsa verde/cream cheese mixture. Add any remaining shredded cheese to the top as well.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until heated through.

Hope you enjoy these low carb salsa verde chicken enchiladas as much as we did! Check out my Low Carb secret ingredient breaded pork chops too!

No Bake Dulce De Leche Caramel Pie

November 13, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

No Bake Dulce De Leche Caramel Pie will be the star of your dinner party or Thanksgiving dessert table. Only 3 ingredients and less than 5 minutes of prep make this recipe easy as pie.

No bake dulce de leche caramel pie was developed from my love of the O’Charley’s caramel pie. Anywhere that gives away free pie every Wednesday deserves a special place in your heart. But sometimes you just need to be able to make your favorite restaurant pie at home. And that is where this recipe will change your life. Ok, maybe that is a little dramatic but i think you will really like it!

You may have seen the recipes where you boil the cans of condensed milk for 3 hours until they turn into caramel. You can’t let your water run below the can or it can and will blow up. And your kitchen will be covered in caramel. Your easy pie will be ruined in a flash.

Before I had kids, I made a caramel pie using this method. It is good. It tastes pretty dang close to the O’Charley’s caramel pie. But I knew that I could not do that boiling method with a very busy 12 month old and a chatty 4 year old running through my house. My kitchen surely be covered in caramel that had blown up while I was changing a diaper or fixing a cup of milk.

So I was on the hunt for something easier that would still give me a decadent caramel pie.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

No Bake Dulce De Leche Caramel Pie

A caramel pie was on my Thanksgiving meal plan. I knew that if I could get brave enough to boil the condensed milk with 2 kids running around, it would be an easy, make ahead dessert to add to my dessert spread.

I was standing in the grocery store, staring at the condensed milk and picturing all the things that could go wrong with this boiling milk project when I had a revelation. Staring me in the face was a little can of dulce de leche. Do you know what that means?

Some nice little company boiled your condensed milk for you, stuffed it in a can and it can all be yours for a couple of bucks. Genius! Here is what you need in order to make this 3 ingredient no bake dulce de leche caramel pie .

What You Need:

1 Can Dulce De Leche

1 Graham Cracker Crust (I used a pack of the mini crusts)

8 oz container Cool whip

(Optional Toppings: Mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts)

Preparing the No Bake Dulce De Leche Caramel Pie

Open your can of dulce de leche. Spread it into the pie crust.

Refrigerate for a few hours to chill. Top with cool whip and serve.

It is so easy your kids can do it. It literally takes less than 5 minutes of prep to make the pie. The longest part is just chilling it which isn’t even totally necessary but I do like it better chilled.

How Much Does It Cost?

Depending on sales at your local grocery store, you should be able to make this pie for less than $6. Making this no bake dulce de leche caramel pie simple and affordable!

Is your family a fan of caramel pie? Do you love no bake, quick and easy dessert recipes?

If you need some simple Thanksgiving breakfast ideas for your kids, try this turkey shaped breakfast bagel and this turkey shaped eggs in a basket.

Thanksgiving Turkey Breakfast Bagel

November 8, 2018 by Stacy Craft 15 Comments

A light and healthy breakfast is just what your kids need leading up to Thanksgiving day. This Thanksgiving turkey breakfast bagel is a cute and tasty treat.

I have one kiddo that doesn’t like to eat. Like ever. My most popular phrase at home is “eat your food.” But if you make her food cute, she all of the sudden shows more interest. These Thanksgiving turkey breakfast bagel treats had her smiling at the breakfast table this week.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Thanksgiving Turkey Breakfast Bagel for Kids

Holiday inspired treats are one thing that I always planned in my head for my kids, before I had kids. I wanted to do fun food and paper plate painting crafts. Handprint keepsakes and cutout cookies with homemade icing and lots of sprinkles.

One thing that I didn’t anticipate pre-motherhood is just how busy and tired I would be in actual motherhood. So in reality my holiday treats usually consist of things that I typically have at home and that I can make super quick.

A Thanksgiving turkey breakfast bagel puts a healthy and fun treat on your table for the kids. You will be giving your kids a fruit, carb source, and dairy in this meal. It is light enough to eat on Thanksgiving morning during the parades on TV but will also keep them full until lunch at school if you make it earlier in the month.

What Do I Need:

Mini Bagels

Cream Cheese (I used a Honey Flavored)

Candy Eyeballs (If you don’t have these, try chocolate chips or raisins)

Candy Corn

Red & Green Apple

Assembling the Thanksgiving Turkey Breakfast Bagel

Fun food, fast. That is what we are after here! To make this cute Thanksgiving turkey breakfast bagel, start by slicing and toasting the bagel.

Let it cool slightly so that the cream cheese doesn’t slide off the turkey’s body. Once it has cooled a bit, spread the cream cheese on one of the bagels. I spread it on just thick enough to cover up the whole in the middle.

Slice the apples.

Now all you need to do is arrange. Place the apple slices around the edge of your turkey peel side up to show those pretty red and green colors off. Finally, add the eyeball, candy corn nose and trim just a teensy piece of a red apple to make the gobbler. Did you know the “gobbler” is actually called a snood? Weird but true according to this article with 10 things you didn’t (need to) know about turkeys.

My daughter’s only complaint was that the Thanksgiving turkey breakfast bagel needed two eyes and not one. I was going for a profile look. And if I know her like I think I do, she was going for two candy eyeballs. I hope you have fun serving these turkey’s up to your kids.

Keto Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken Bell Pepper Nachos

November 2, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Simple Keto cheesy salsa verde chicken bell pepper nachos for a quick lunch or snack on a low carb lifestyle.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

My most popular recipe so far has been the Keto cheesy salsa verde chicken with Cauli rice (pinned more than 100k times!). Since I usually have the ingredients on hand, I was thinking about making it yesterday. But then I saw some mini bell peppers in my fridge and another idea was born!

I decided to make some keto cheesy salsa verde chicken bell pepper nachos inspired by the original recipe. With a little meal prep that I had done earlier in the week, these came together very quick for a tasty lunch. Just because you are following a low carb diet doesn’t mean that you don’t want some cheesy nachos in your life!

Keto Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken Bell Pepper Nachos

Just like the original recipe, you need just a few ingredients to make this easy keto friendly lunch. Mini bell peppers, cream cheese, chicken and salsa verde are all you need.

I used the microwave for the cheesy salsa sauce for this recipe but you could also use one of those small crockpots to melt it down if you wanted to throw it together earlier in the day. Melt the salsa with the cream cheese for about a minute in the microwave.

For the chicken, I used my instant pot to shred up a bunch of chicken thighs earlier in the week. If you don’t want to cook your own chicken, a rotisserie chicken would work well with these keto cheesy salsa verde chicken bell pepper nachos.

Mix the cream cheese/salsa mixture, the chicken and the shredded cheese in a medium bowl.

Add the mixture to your cut and prepared mini peppers. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. I then broiled it for 2 minutes on high so that the tops would get a light brown crust on top!

The cheesy chicken filling has a slight kick from the salsa verde and the mini bell peppers serve as the perfect vessel to get that yummy goodness into your mouth. Don’t forget some extra salsa verde and sour cream for dipping.

If you need some variety in your Keto or Trim Healthy Mama (S) lunch routine, I hope you try these keto cheesy salsa verde chicken bell pepper nachos. If you love the low carb lifestyle, don’t forget to try these smoked salmon, cream cheese roll ups and cheeseburger soup.

And don’t forget to make yourself a 2 minute keto breakfast in the microwave in the morning.

Keto Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken Bell Pepper Nachos

Cuisine

Keto/Low Carb/THM S

Servings

Ingredients

Cuisine

Keto/Low Carb/THM S

Servings

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prep the mini bell peppers by cutting off the top, slicing lengthwise and removing seeds.
Place the cream cheese and salsa verde in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 1 minute. You may want to do this in 30 second increments to ensure it doesn't burn.
If your precooked chicken is cold, warm it slightly in the microwave .
Add the salsa/cream cheese mixture, warm chicken and shredded cheddar cheese to a small mixing bowl and combine.
Stuff the sliced peppers with approximately a tablespoon of the cheesy chicken mixture. The exact measurement will vary based on the size of your peppers.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Broil for 2 minutes until the tops are slightly browned.