Recipe #1: Healthy Squash and Chicken Casserole

What better than to start my first recipe off with a good ol' casserole. At least I know this one is healthy!

I had to eat some semi-sweet chocolate chips to get me started, get the cooking and creative parts of my brain working. (I don't really think chocolate chips are part of the clean eating lifestyle...it may have to be my one area of weakness. I love chocolate.)

Healthy Squash & Chicken Casserole - Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients:

10 slices whole-wheat bread

olive oil cooking spray

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to ¼ - ½ inc thickness and cubed

1 cup pre-shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese

2 tsp Italian seasoning

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

(1) Cut bread into cubes, then spread out onto a cookie sheet and let air-dry overnight. (If you do not wish to dry the bread, toast it instead in an oven for 10 minutes at 350). Since I read this right before starting I did not end up letting it sit overnight. Too much work in my mind. I toasted my wheat-free, gluten-free, corn-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, rice-free bread (which I promise tastes good) and it turned out great. It even came from the freezer.

(2) Preheat oven to 350 F.

(3) Heat large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low (the level of heat is always a guess in my kitchen because all my stovetop says is off, high and light, haha), mist with cooking spray and add onion. Sauté for about 8 minutes (I love exact times!) or until caramelized. Add squash and garlic. Mist with more cooking spray, if needed, and sauté until cooked, about 5 more minutes (again, love the exact times). Remove vegetables from plan. Mist pan with cooking spray again and cook chicken until golden brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes total. (Note on the chicken. I didn’t actually measure the thickness of it or pound it, instead I eyeballed it. It seemed to work just fine.)

(4) In a large bowl, mix together cooked vegetables, chicken and bread cubes. Mix in mozzarella, seasoning, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into an 8-cup casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and casserole is lightly browned on top.

Nutrients per 1-cup serving: Calories: 180, total fat: 4g, Sat. Fat 1.5g, Carbs: 19g, Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 4g, Protein: 15g, Sodium 320mg, Cholesterol 20mg. From Clean Cooking Magazine, January/February 2010, page 68.

So this turned out pretty well. I meant to take a picture of it and completely forgot until it was all gone so here’s a picture from the magazine instead! I also added some potatoes to it. I was thinking it would add some thickness to the meal. My mess up was just sauted the potatoes with the other veggies and even after it was all baked the potatoes were crunchy. I should have boiled the potato first or something. Any ideas? Ryan said they were good and not crunchy. :D