Chicken Enchiladas and a different dinner for Mandy

Husband had chicken enchiladas (recipe below), homemade guacamole, green beans, roasted cauliflower (recipe below), blue corn chips and fried banana.

There is nothing authentic about these enchiladas. I got creative because I wanted to use what I had in the fridge without making the same old thing. Here goes:

6 low carb tortillas (mine were Salsa flavor, but whatever will work)

1 roasted chicken, removed skin and hand shredded the meat

2 cups cooked veggies, I used a frozen bag of organic broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper and onion (ok, so I also threw in some prepared salads I got at the store last Sunday, like tomatoey, artichokey, vinegary type salad, can't be bad...)

1/2 cup light garlic and chive cream cheese

1/3 package taco seasoning (so much sodium, a little goes a long way)

1 cup cubed tofu cheese, a couple different flavors (I used Jalapeno and Monterey Jack)

1 big jar of salsa

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Combine chicken, veggies, cream cheese, seasoning and 1/2 of the cubed tofu cheese. Make it all mushy.

Lightly spray a 9x13 inch sheet pan.

Pour enough salsa to cover the bottom, about 1 cup.

Evenly distribute chicken mixture into the 6 tortillas and roll to make a cigar shape. Place in pan (if you have leftover chicken mixture, tuck it into the sides of the pan, like it's overflowing from the tortillas).

Cover enchiladas with salsa and remaining 1/2 cup of cubed cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Uncover and bake until cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Note: if you're not lactose intolerant, TOTALLY substitute with the real stuff. I'm just trying to be a good wife!

Fried Banana

1 banana, sliced

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon honey

Heat cinnamon, butter and honey in a small frying pan. When bubbly, add banana. Let it fry for about 3 minutes, then flip once so the banana can caramelize on both sides. I usually lower the heat or turn it off completely once I flip. The bananas will continue to cook with the residual heat. Enjoy!

I am attempting to give up the nuts. One meal down. Tonight I enjoyed this very yummy roasted cauliflower (first time making, courtesy of foodporndaily.com), green beans, and a low carb bagel stuffing. I know, you're like, where is it? What the hell is it? I'll explain after I explain the cauliflower.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head organic cauliflower, washed and cut into manageable chunks.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Put cut and washed cauliflower into microwave safe container and cook for 5 minutes (this is to get the cauliflower hot and starting to steam, otherwise you can end up with browned, raw cauliflower, which isn't very good. If you're not into microwaves, just steam until slightly tender).

Drain, if necessary and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spread evenly onto a lightly sprayed cookie sheet.

Cook for 20 minutes. Use tongs to turn the cauliflower once, so it can brown on more than one side, about another 10-15 minutes.

I LOVED this dish. Roasting the cauliflower makes it sweeter and the brown bits are salty and savory. This is a great fry alternative.

Food Porn Daily served this with edamame and an awesome dressing. Definitely check them out!

Low carb bagel stuffing

3 low carb onion bagels, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/3 cup Romano cheese

Combine bagels, stock and some of the Romano cheese. You want the bread to be wet, but not drowning. Top with remaining cheese.

Now. I will be honest and tell you that I microwave this dish. If you do not wish to use a microwave, simply put this concoction into a 9 inch pan that is lightly sprayed and bake at 35o degrees until the top is browning a bit, about 20-25 minutes.

Or you can be like me and microwave it for 11 minutes, lightly covered.