Yellow Squash Casserole w/Minced Seasoned Grilled Chicken

A couple of months ago I pulled a recipe for "Yellow Squash Casserole" from Allrecipes.com and have thoroughly enjoyed cooking it.  I've cooked it several times, but I altered the recipe to suit my needs, because I found the recipe rather bland, but then again I didn't use the 1/4 Cup of melted butter it asked for.  I cut it out and used country crock light where needed and added additional spices to taste.

I also added my recipe for Seasoned Grilled Chicken© and a can of Whole Kernel Corn to make a very tasty casserole sure to satisfy your appetite.

Yellow Squash Casserole w/Minced Seasoned Grilled Chicken

Cocina De Don Pedro © 2014

Pedro R. Flores, Jr.. All Rights Reserved.

Makes 8 Servings, 1/8 recipe each

Ingredients:

- 6 Cups Yellow Squash, sliced

- 3/4 Cup Onion, chopped

- 35 Ritz or Buttery Round Crackers, crushed*

- 1 Cup Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese*

- 10 oz. Seasoned Grilled Chicken©, minced
- 1 Can Whole Kernel Corn
- 2 Eggs, Beaten

- 3/4 Cup Non-Fat Instant Dry Milk (Great Value)*

- Butter Flavored Non-Stick Cooking Spray*

- 1/2 Tsp Salt

- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Pepper
- 1/2 Tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
- 2 Tbsp Country Crock Light, or light butter (optional)*
- 1 Tbsp Parsley Flakes

Kitchenware:

- Small Mixing Bowl
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Rubber Spatulas
- Wooden or Kitchen Spoons
- Kitchen or Chef's Knife
- 9/13 Baking Pan

Preparation:

- Preheat oven to 400°F.

- Place squash and onion in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in a small amount of water. Cover, and cook until squash is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well, and place in a large bowl.

- In a medium bowl, mix together cracker crumbs and cheese. Stir half of the cracker mixture into the cooked squash and onions. In a small bowl, mix together eggs and milk, then add to squash mixture. Spray with butter flavored non-stick cooking spray quite generously.  Season with salt, garlic, pepper and set aside.

- Spread minced chicken onto bottom of 9x13 pan and sprinkle corn over the chicken.  Pour squash mixture over chicken and corn. Continue to spread using hands or spatula. Sprinkle Lawry's over entire dish, then Sprinkle with remaining cracker mixture.  Dot with 2 tablespoons butter and Parsley Flakes

 

 - Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Tips

- In place of name brand ingredients, use generic versions to save money.  I use Wal-Mart's Great Value Brand for many of my recipes.  I used Reduced Fat Buttery Round Crackers, Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Non-Fat Instant Dry Milk, and Butter Flavored Non-Stick Cooking Spray.

- Use Country Crock Light instead of Butter, or don't use it at all.  It's your choice.  The original recipe asked for 1/4 cup melted butter (that wasn't going to happen, lol).  I used plenty of cooking spray to compensate and used C.C Light for the dotting. 

- The nutritional facts for this recipe are listed under MyFitnessPal under "Cocina De Don Pedro - Yellow Squash Casserole W/minced Seasoned Grilled Chicken"

Nutritional Facts:

Serving Size = 1/8 Recipe

Calories	222	Sodium	1,020 mg
Total Fat	6 g	Potassium	346 mg
Saturated	1 g	Total Carbs	23 g
Polyunsaturated	2 g	Dietary Fiber	3 g
Monounsaturated	1 g	Sugars	7 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	17 g
Cholesterol	70 mg

Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan

Last night I made what has become a staple in our household.  The famous Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan from Kraft.  I pulled the recipe from the back of the box, just like the Buffalo Chicken Strips I made the day before.  I also make them as pre-packaged frozen meals for my partner and a couple of clients.  Try it out; I'm more than sure, you'll enjoy it.

Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan

Kraft Foods. All Rights Reserved. ©

Makes 6 Servings, 4 oz. each

Ingredients:

- 6 small  boneless skinless chicken breasts (1-1/2 lb.) 
- 1 pkt.  SHAKE 'N BAKE Chicken Coating Mix* 
- 2 cups  spaghetti sauce 
- 1-1/2 cups  KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese* 
- 1/4 cup  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese* 
- 1 tsp.  dried oregano leaves

Kitchenware:

- Baking Pan or 9x13 Pan
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Kitchen Spoon
- Kitchen Spatula
- Aluminum Foil (optional)

Preparation:

The recipe given here is from Kraftrecipes.com, so feel free to alter or change anything you think will benefit you health-wise.  I've made this so often that I sometimes use a 6-7 oz chicken breast, so that my tummy can be a little more full.

- HEAT oven to 400°F.

 
- COAT chicken with coating mix as directed on package*; place in 13x9-inch pan.  

- BAKE 20 min. or until chicken is done (165°F).
 
- TOP with remaining ingredients; bake 5 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

**Tips**

- I like to use a bowl or small cake pan to pour the coating mix into and then I'll bread each chicken individually.

- Purchase generic versions of the ingredients to save money.  I used Wal-Mart's Great Value brand for most of my ingredients.  The Seasoning and Coating Mix (Parmesan Crusted), Fat Free Parmesan Grated Cheese (not pictured), Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (low-moisture/part skim), and Thin Spaghetti.

- The nutritional facts for this recipe (using 4 oz. chicken breast) are listed under MyFitnessPal under "Kraft - Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan (Shake'nbake Parmesan Crusted)"

Nutritional Facts:

Serving Size = 1 - 4 oz. Chicken Breast

Calories	260	Sodium	740 mg
Total Fat	8 g	Potassium	0 mg
Saturated	4 g	Total Carbs	14 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	2 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	3 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	35 g
Cholesterol	85 mg

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Last night I made buffalo chicken wraps for Ryan and myself.  They were really delicious!  I've made them before and wanted to share the recipe with you.  The recipe actually comes from the back of a Shake 'n Bake Buffalo Seasoning box.  You can find it at any grocery store around the baking/spices aisle.

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Kraft Foods. All Rights Reserved.

Makes 8 Servings, 1 Wrap each

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. Chicken Breasts

- 1 Packet Shake 'n Bake Crispy Buffalo Seasoned Coating Mix

- Lettuce

- Tomatoes

- Flour Tortillas (La Banderita)*

- Fat Free Dressing of your choice

Kitchenware:

- Baking Pan/Cookie Sheet
- Foil

Preparation:

- Heat oven to 400ºF.

- Prepare using 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips.
 
- SHAKE chicken with coating mix as directed on package. 

- BAKE in foil-lined pan 15 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). 

Tips:

- I like to use La Banderita (Fajita Size) Flour Tortillas.  They are lower in fat and carbs than most flour tortillas in the market.

- The nutritional facts for this recipe are listed under MyFitnessPal under Kraft - Buffalo Chicken Wraps (La Banderita Fajita Size Tortilla, Lett, Tomato Only)

Nutritional Facts:

Serving Size = 1 Wrap

Calories	176	Sodium	513 mg
Total Fat	2 g	Potassium	180 mg
Saturated	0 g	Total Carbs	24 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	3 g
Monounsaturated	1 g	Sugars	1 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	16 g
Cholesterol	33 mg

Cheesy Broccoli-Chicken w/Rice

Each prepared dish has only 4g fat, 0g trans fat and under 400 calories!

This recipe calls for ingredients which have been pre-cooked.  If you plan to make this recipe feel free to use the recipes in my cookbook, or you can use your own ingredients.  Please keep in mind, if you decide to go with your own ingredients you will have altered the authenticity of my recipe, along with the nutritional facts listed below. Otherwise, please enjoy.  

While the cooking part of this recipe is the steaming of your broccoli, the listed ingredients have to be pre-cooked prior to preparing the following dish.  I have provided all the recipes for you - just click on the links.

Cheesy Broccoli-Chicken w/Rice

Cocina De Don Pedro © 2013

Pedro R. Flores, Jr.. All Rights Reserved.

Makes 2 Servings, 1 Prepared Dish, each

Ingredients:

Cooking Part
- 2 cups, Frozen or Fresh Broccoli (Bird's Eye Florets), steamed

Dish Preparation Part

- 8 oz. Seasoned Grilled Chicken©, cubed, divided by 2 (4 oz. each)

- 1/2 cup Multi-Use Low-Fat Cheese Sauce©, divided by 2 ( 1/4 cup each)

- 1 cup Seasoned Rice©, divided by 2 (1/2 cup each)
- 1 cup Broccoli, steamed
- 2 tbsp Shredded Fat Free Cheddar Cheese & Paprika for garnish, optional

Kitchenware:

- Medium Microwavable Bowl
- Rubber Spatula or Wooden Spoon
- Measuring Cups
- Food Scale

Preparation:

Cooking Part 
- How you cook your broccoli is up to you.  I buy the large frozen bag of "Bird's Eye Broccoli Florets" and use this for my recipes.  I usually steam the broccoli in my risotto/rice cooker as my rice cooks underneath.  But you can also cook it on the stove-top or microwave.

Dish Preparation Part 
-In a microwaveable bowl, combine 4 oz. chicken, 1/4 c cheese sauce, 1/2 c rice, and 1 c broccoli.  Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix thoroughly.
- Microwave for 2-1/2 minutes, stir, and place on dinner plate. 
- Garnish with 2 tbsp cheddar cheese and a dash of paprika. 
- Follow the same instructions for the second dish.

Tips:

- Making this recipe is unlimited.  You can combine to make a casserole, but in order to arrive at the proper nutritional goals, I made this dish as a single-serve recipe.

Use:

-Dinner parties, Meals for two, Casseroles, etc.

Nutritional Facts:

Serving Size = 1 Prepared Dish

Calories	361	Sodium	2142 mg
Total Fat	4 g	Potassium	618 mg
Saturated	2 g	Total Carbs	38 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	3 g
Monounsaturated	1 g	Sugars	7 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	36 g
Cholesterol	74 mg

Personal Low-Fat King Ranch Chicken

This recipe calls for ingredients already pre-cooked.  If you plan to make this recipe feel free to use the recipes in my cookbook, or you can use your own ingredients.  Please keep in mind, if you decide to go with your own ingredients you will have altered the authenticity of my recipe.  Otherwise, please enjoy.  Items listed under the ingredients list where I've created a recipe will have a link to that particular item.

The only cooking part in this recipe is the stir-frying of the vegetables and spices.  Everything else is dish preparation; Provided you already have the chicken, cheese-sauce and tortilla chips handy.  If not, you will need to prepare these as well.  Links to my recipes have been provided.

Personal Low-Fat King Ranch Chicken

Cocina De Don Pedro © 2013
Pedro R. Flores, Jr.. All Rights Reserved.

Makes 4 servings, 1 Prepared Dish Each

Ingredients:

Cooking part
- Non-stick Cooking Spray, Butter Flavored
- 1 cup Bell Pepper, diced

- 1/2 cup Onion, diced

- 1 medium Tomato, diced

- 2 tsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped or 1 Knorr's Cilantro Cube

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 can Rotel, Original or Great Value brand, slightly drained

Dish Preparation Part

- 2 cups Sweet Whole Kernel Corn, drained, divided by 4 (1/4th can each)
- 64 Oven-Baked Corn Tortilla Chips©, divided by 4 (16 chips each)

- 2 Cups of Multi-Use Low-Fat Cheese Sauce©, divided by 4 ( 1/2 cup each)
- 1 lb. Seasoned Grilled Chicken©, cubed, divided by 4 (4 oz. each)

Kitchenware:

- Wooden Spoon

- Medium Frying Pan

- Rubber Spatula

Preparation:

Cooking part
- One thing you will notice in all my recipes is that I use no oil whatsoever. None. I always use cooking spray. Today you can pick from several varieties in your local grocery store.  Also, you will want to use the spray generously, otherwise you will have a hot sticky mess.  But I never do.  I'm always spraying.

- With temperature on medium-heat, spray the frying pan generously with cooking spray and allow to get hot before adding your onions and bell peppers.  Spray some more cooking spray and stir-fry for 5 minutes, spray some more cooking spray, add your tomato, garlic, salt and let fry for another 3 minutes before adding your can of Rotel.  Cover, reduce to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Really, all your doing is spraying stir-frying and spraying. lol.

- Once done divide into 4 equal servings. [see picture above]

Dish Preparation Part
- Preparing a dish is pretty simple.  Rinse and dry your frying pan, and spray cooking spray generously. Place on medium-heat and stir-fry 1/2 cup of  corn for a minute, throw in 1/4th of the vegetable mixture, 4 oz. of chicken, and stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes.  Add 16 corn chips and 6 oz. of cheese sauce to the pan, and mix all ingredients well.  Pour onto serving dish or plate.

I prepare each dish individually in order to achieve the nutritional goals below.

Video:

Uses:

- Dinner parties, romantic dinners, or just because :-)

Nutritional Facts:

Serving Size = 1 Prepared Dish 

Calories	377	Sodium	2067 mg
Total Fat	6 g	Potassium	560 mg
Saturated	2 g	Total Carbs	45 g
Polyunsaturated	1 g	Dietary Fiber	7 g
Monounsaturated	1 g	Sugars	16 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	34 g
Cholesterol	71 mg

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

This recipe calls for ingredients already pre-cooked.  If you plan to make this recipe feel free to use the recipes in my cookbook, or you can use your own ingredients.  Please keep in mind, if you decide to go with your own ingredients you will have altered the authenticity of my recipe.  Otherwise, please enjoy.  Items listed under the ingredients list where I've created a recipe will have a link to that particular item.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

Cocina De Don Pedro © 2013 
Pedro R. Flores, Jr.. All Rights Reserved.

Makes 4 servings, 1 Stuffed Pepper Each

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of Easy White Rice©, cooked & cooled*

- 4 multi-colored Bell Peppers or Green Bell Peppers

- 8 oz. Seasoned Grilled Chicken©, cubed

- 1 can of Whole Kernel Corn

- 1/4 c Kraft Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese

- 1/2 c Campbell's Healthy Request Cheddar Cheese Soup

- 2-1/2 tbsp Chopped Onions

- 4 slices of Velveeta Single Cheese Slices

- 1/2 c Water

- Dashes of Paprika

- 1 stalk of Green Onion, chopped or 2 tsp of Chives

Kitchenware:

- Medium Bowl

- Wooden Spoon

- Rubber Spatula

- Knife

- Steamer or Medium Pot

- 1-1/2 quart pan or whichever you prefer

Preparation:

Cut the top off your bell peppers, leaving at least 3/4 of the pepper intact. 

The following preparation will consist of one pepper filling in order to acheive the proper nutritional goals indicated below.

In a medium bowl combine the following:

2 oz. cubed Chicken

1/3 c of Corn
1/2 c of Rice

1 tbsp Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 tbsp Cheddar Cheese Soup

2 tsp chopped onions

Mix ingredients well, and stuff pepper with this mixture and set in pan.  Do the same for the remaining three peppers.

Place the peppers in oven and bake for 35 minutes.

Once you remove peppers from oven, lay a slice of cheese on each pepper, a dash of paprika, and top with green onions or chives.

Place back in oven for 2 more minutes to melt the cheese.

Uses:

For dinner parties or romantic dinners at home

Nutritional Facts:

Serving Size: 1 Stuffed Pepper

Calories	316.3	Sodium	1118 mg
Total Fat	5.6 g	Potassium	517 mg
Saturated	1.9 g	Total Carbs	44.2 g
Polyunsaturated	0.2 g	Dietary Fiber	5 g
Monounsaturated	0.6 g	Sugars	10 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	22 g
Cholesterol	45 mg

*important - make sure rice is cool

Seasoned Grilled Chicken

Several of the recipes I make consist of my seasoned grilled chicken, so when you read a recipe that calls for it - this is what I'm talking about.

It's really easy to make and you can make it however you like.  You obviously don't have to do it like I do, but I can't guarantee your food will taste as delicious :-). 






Seasoned Grilled Chicken  
Cocina De Don Pedro © 2013 
Pedro R. Flores, Jr.. All Rights Reserved.  

Makes Multiple servings, 4oz. Each

Preheat Oven: 350 Degrees

Ingredients:

5 lb. "Family Size" bag of frozen Chicken Breasts, Boneless, Skinless (Great Value), thawed
Lawry's Seasoning Salt or Lemon Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Chili Powder
Parsley Flakes
Non-stick Cooking Spray (Butter Flavored)

Kitchenware:
- 2 Sheet Pans
- Aluminum Foil
- Meat Tenderizer
- Clear Plastic Bag or Large Zip-loc bag.
- Turkey Baster 

If you've never seen a meat tenderizer, here's a pic for you.  There's a meat tenderizer in the spices section of the grocery store, that is not what I'm talking about. LOL.

I have cooked chicken many different ways, and I found that the best way for the chicken to absorb the spices - is by pounding them into the bird!  Yep, that's right, pound those spices in!

You don't literally pound them in, but by tenderizing the breasts the spices will fall into each nook and crevice, and the chicken will taste delicious.

Preparation:
Place a chicken breast into a clear plastic bag or Zip-loc - do not close it completely, because you want the air to escape. Proceed by pounding the chicken with your tenderizer until it's about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick.  And do this for all the chicken.  Lay your chicken on a counter-top or table depending on where you'll be seasoning.

 Line your pans with foil, and spray generously with non-stick cooking spray.

You will season your pans the same way you will season your chicken.

Sprinkle with Seasoning Salt or Lemon Pepper (not both), garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and parsley flakes. I didn't give measurements for these, because the amount varies - so the best way to tell you is - to sprinkle the entire pan lightly.  You DO NOT want a thick layer of spices.  You will sprinkle the entire pan with one ingredient and then the next, and so forth and so forth.  

Place the chicken in your pans, trying not to leave spaces - use as much of the pan that you can.  This time you will season the top-sides of the chicken, but in reverse and spraying them with a generous amount of non-stick cooking spray as your final step. 

Place chicken in the oven and let cook for 25 - 30 minutes.  You will want broth in the pan when you take them out of the oven, if you don't - you've overcooked them.  Make sure to monitor the chicken as you cook.

Using your turkey baster, draw some of the broth into it, and drizzle over the chicken.  There should be plenty of broth for all the chicken.  This returns a lot of the juices that were lost during the cooking process, which helps retain the moisture and delicious flavor. 

Uses:
Fajita Tacos, Chicken Wraps, Pizzas, Enchiladas, Entrees, Salads, and much more!

Nutrition Facts:
4 oz. Serving

Calories	127	Sodium	642 mg
Total Fat	3 g	Potassium	250 mg
Saturated	1 g	Total Carbs	1 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	1 g	Sugars	0 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	23 g
Cholesterol	65 mg