Yes we can.

Every year I envision remaking the American classic, and this year I think I’ve done it. Fresh green beans, fresh brussels, mushrooms, bacon, and parmesan cheese bring what transform a comforting but perhaps bland dish into something a little more umami.

The original green bean casserole was created by Dorcas Reilly who led the Campbell’s Soup team on a project to make an easy side dish with mushroom soup and green beans. Who could have ever guessed it would have such lasting power and take so many twists and turns with hundreds of revisions.

My version is fresher and keto friendly. I replaced frozen green beans with fresh, mushroom soup with cream cheese, and Pork Panko and shallots for the crispy onion topping. We also added fresh mushrooms and brussels sprouts.

Fresh green beans taste so much better than frozen, but require a little snipping, easily done with scissors. Unlike many vegetables, green beans taste better when cooked through, not grassy, but not to the point of mush. I taste my beans along the way.   

I used baby bella mushrooms, but you can use whatever you like.

Adding bacon, while not necessary, is a great addition.

Process for Healthy Low Carb Green Beans Casserole

I started with a full stalk of brussels, which are so easy to make. Simply snap off the brussels, wash, trim and cut in half. I microwaved for a mere three minutes to soften them up. On the the other hand, I boiled the green beans and sauteéd the mushrooms.

I wanted creaminess, but not as much as a can of soup, and added in cream cheese, with a little cream. It doesn’t  overwhelm the dish, but pulls it together.

Pork Panko is a product I recently started using, naturally grain and gluten free and it works.

Green Beans Almondine

Green Beans Mushroom Onion Tart

 More Thanksgiving Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Green Bean Brussels Sprouts Casserole Keto Friendly

Reinvented Green Bean Casserole adding brussels sprouts, bacon, parmesan cheese and a surprise with pork panko (pork skins)

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• This recipe contains Amazon affiliate links which earn a small commission but do not affect price.
• 2 pounds green beans
• 2 pounds brussels sprouts
• 3 pints mushrooms
• 1/2 pound cooked bacon crumbled
• 4 tablespoons cream cheese softened to room temperature.
• 1/4 cup heavy cream.
• 4 shallots
• 1 cup pork panko pork rinds breadcrumbs ORDER HERE
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse brussels sprouts, trim ends, cut into quarters.
• Place brussels sprouts in microwaveable dish, with just enough water to cover bottom. Microwave for 3 minutes. Drain. Set aside.
• Trim green beans and cut into bite sized pieces. Boil until cooked (you can microwave).
• Drain. Set aside.
• Trim mushrooms, slice. Saute in butter.
• Add in green beans and brussels sprouts.
• Mix cream cheese with heavy cream.
• Add in cream cheese mixture. Stir until incorporated.
• Add bacon and half of the parmesan cheese.

Make Shallot Panko Topping

• Slice shallots thinly on medium low heat and soften in butter.
• Add 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs onto the sliced shallots until the panko is golden.
• Top casserole with shallots mixture, remaining panko, remaining parmesan cheese .
• Bake for15 minutes or until Pork Panko is golden brown.
• Serve immediately.

This site contains Amazon affiliate links which earn a small commission but do not affect price.

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Hey Cauliflower Lovers,

I’ll bet you didn’t know that aside from tasting good and being so versatile, cauliflower loves you back.

• Cauliflower has to fight hard to get your attention, unless you buy this kind.
• It just doesn’t have the sex appeal that broccoli has, and it’s not a trend setter like kale, but it’s gaining ground.
• But, it’s always been around and is easily found everywhere.
• Cauliflower is versatile and healthy. It also keeps for a fairly long time in your fridge.
• Cauliflower is white, almost bland looking and it can’t tell you it contains sulforaphane, which has been now to kill cancer stem cells.

I’m no doctor or scientist, but every article I read about cauliflower has boasted these health beneifits of cauliflower.

• Cauliflower is anti-inflammatory, the biggest buzz word around, because this is connected our immune system and so many diseases.
• Cauliflower has choline, which boosts brain health.
• Cauliflower contains properties that aid digestion.
• Cauliflower is high in antioxidants.

These are all good reasons to consider cauliflower a super food and for a home cook like me, I want to add something to the superfood category. Cauliflower is easy to prepare and versatile.

I have been making cauliflower for a very long time, and just stumbled on this little idea for lunch last week.  It fits that low-carb thing that I try to adhere to at least when I’m not out in restaurants gorging on pork belly pop tarts. (that’s true).

So tell me, do you have an extra good cauliflower recipe. Please leave link in the comments. I’m sure to come visit you.

The Cooking Process for Cauliflower Parmesan

This is the healthy version. You could bread, fry and top with sauce and cheese and have old school cauliflower parmesan (similar to eggplant parmesan), and I might just come back with that recipe.

This the easier, friendlier version, perfect for lunch or a side dish. If you want a vegan version of this, try cauliflower steaks.

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Cauliflower Parmesan and the Benefits of Cauliflower

Healthy take on cauliflower parmesan. Mozzarella Cheese, Fresh Tomatoes and Roasted Cauliflower.

Course Vegetarian

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 head caulflower
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Slice cauliflower into 1 inch steaks. Remove all core and stem.
• Brush with olive oil.
• Roast at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes.
• Top with tomatoes. mozzarella cheese.
• Roast for 10 more minutes.
• Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
• Season with salt and Pepper.
• Serve.

You might take a look at all the cauliflower recipes here at Spinach Tiger.

Special Note to my Readers: I will be posting 30 days in a row. Please hang with me. If it’s too much for your mailbox, you don’t have to open them all, but I hope you do. This is one of the ways I challenge myself to get better in the kitchen and bring you the best tested recipes possible!

The post Cauliflower Parmesan and the Benefits of Cauliflower appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Today, I am in Milan. As I was eating a breaded veal cutlet last night, I thought of  Marcella Hazan’s Parmesan Crusted Lamb Chops. Normally, I wouldn’t bread lamb chops and especially not think of a parmesan crust, but these are amazing.

These just might be the best lamb chops you have ever eaten. You won’t believe how juicy and flavorful they are. As you bite upon the parmesan crust, you will want more.

I like meat that requires no sauces, etc. And, these are just pick up and eat as they are, and if you are like me, you’ll get every little morsel off of the bone. Serve a salad with a lemony dressing or a bounty of roasted asparagus and you have the perfect meal.

You can prepare the chops ahead and refrigerate. Take out 30 minutes before frying to bring to room temperature and enjoy a “dinner party” meal in the middle of a week.

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Parmesan Crusted Lamb Chops

Adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classical Italian Cooking, crispy, parmesan lamb chops.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 6 lamb chops flattened (I cut each chop from a rack of lamb)
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup non-flavored bread crumbs
• salt
• pepper
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

• Turn chops into the cheese, pressing cheese into the meat.
• Dip into beaten egg.
• Coat with breadcrumbs.
• Heat oil very hot and place chops in frying pan, until each side has formed a nice, golden crust.
• Seasen with salt and pepper.

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More tomato recipes? Yes, and what is so great about these are all the places these crispy tomatoes can show up. Not only are they a side dish, they are the great secret crunch inside of a sandwich.

I started out to make fried green tomatoes and took a detour. I remembered how delicious and surprising these parmesan crusted lamb chops were and I wondered if a similar recipe could apply to tomatoes. Only, I didn’t want to fry them; I wanted them oven baked.

The idea of oven-baked started when one of the lady’s who sells tomatoes at the farmer’s market told me she never ate fried green tomatoes, because she didn’t eat anything fried. She’s a southern gal, so I was taken aback. And, then I realized a lot of people are changing the way they eat, and are looking for new ways to prepare good traditional fare. Of course, I took them into the Italian flavor palate, but I think you could find your own way of adapting this recipe.

These are easy and rather elegant. It’s important to use the best parmegiano reggiano cheese and grate it fresh for it’s the cheese that drives the flavor here.

Recipe for Oven Crusted Green and Red Tomtoes

Ingredients

• 6 slices large tomatoes, sliced across thickly
• 1/3 cup loosely packed grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Salt tomatoes for five minutes.
   Carefully brush off the salt.
2. Cover each tomato slice on both sides with grated cheese.
3. Dip into egg. Coat with breadcrumbs.
4. Bake at 350 on baking stone or baking pan covered with parchment paper.
   Bake for 10-15 minutes  each side until browned.

Note: This sandwich was made with grilled eggplant, provolone cheese and a pepper sauce. The delicious pepper sauce is a blend of Mezzetta roasted red peppers and jalapeno peppers. The peppers were made into a sauce with a magic bullet. Mezzetta provided the ingredients.

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