The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (98 page)
Mexican Casserole
Who doesn't love a good Mexican casserole? They're the best because they're easy to whip up and you can be creative with them, throwing in your own personal touches as you see fit. Case in point: Most Mexican casserole recipes call for you to cook the chips mixed in. I prefer to serve them separately because they tend to get soggy, especially when you reheat the dish.
Preparation time:
20 minutes
Cooking time:
30 minutes
Yield:
8 servings
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 pound shredded cooked chicken meat (from a small roasted chicken)
One 15 1/2-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
One 15 1/2-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
One 15 1/4-ounce can corn kernels, drained
2 cups salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup grated medium Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups baked tortilla chips
1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13-x-9-inch baking dish.
2
Heat the canola oil in a small skillet and sauté the onion and bell pepper until soft. Remove from the heat.
3
Combine the chicken, beans (both kinds), corn, salsa, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add in the sautéed onion and bell pepper. Place half the mixture evenly in the baking dish.
4
Combine the Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses and sprinkle half over the mixture.
5
Cover with the remaining half of the chicken and bean mixture and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
6
Bake for 30 minutes and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a handful of tortilla chips (you can crush them and mix them in or just scoop with them).
Per serving:
Calories 303 (From Fat 98); Glycemic Load 16 (Medium); Fat 11g (Saturated 4g); Cholesterol 56mg; Sodium 813mg; Carbohydrate 29g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 24g.
Polenta Casserole with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella
Polenta is a very tasty low-glycemic grain made out of cornmeal, so it offers a sweet taste. This is a simple vegetarian casserole you can put together and have for the week. Enjoy it with a side salad for a light lunch.
Preparation time:
15 minutes
Setting time:
2 hours
Cooking time:
1 hour
Yield:
6 servings
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus some to prep the baking dish
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped yellow or orange bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt to taste, plus 1 teaspoon
Ground black pepper to taste
4 cups water
1 cup corn grits polenta (or coarse cornmeal)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and bell pepper. Cook until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.
2
Add the garlic to the saucepan and cook 1 additional minute. (If you're unsure of how to peel and mince garlic, see Figure 17-1.) Then add the tomatoes and their juice (breaking up the tomatoes as you put them in), as well as the parsley and oregano. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, until the sauce is reduced to about 3 cups. Mix in the fresh basil and season to taste with the salt and pepper.
3
In another large saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Slowly whisk in the corn grits polenta (or coarse cornmeal). Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the polenta is thick and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4
Lightly grease an 8-x-8-x-2 glass or ceramic baking dish with olive oil. Spread one-third of the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Pour half the polenta over the sauce and sprinkle with half the cheese.
5
Pour another third of the sauce overthe cheese and then pour the remaining half of the polenta over the sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and cover with the remaining third of the sauce. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
6
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
7
Bake the casserole until it's completely heated through, about 25 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Vary It!
Add 1-inch pieces of rotisserie chicken to the tomato sauce for a nonvegetarian meal.
Per serving:
Calories 225 (From Fat 64); Glycemic Load 8 (Low); Fat 7g (Saturated 3g); Cholesterol 17mg; Sodium 665mg; Carbohydrate 33g (Dietary Fiber 5g); Protein 8g.
Figure 17-1:
How to extract, peel, and mince garlic.
Freezing casseroles and other leftovers
If you're single or if you have a small family, you may find that casseroles make too much food to eat within three to four days. Freezing casseroles (and other leftovers) is a great way to avoid waste and to have your own prepackaged frozen meals for later use. Naturally, some foods don't freeze well (such as fresh mushrooms and fresh tomatoes as well as overcooked pastas and milk-based sauces), but most cooked casseroles, stews, and soups do freeze well. Follow these tips to create your own homemade frozen meals:
Keep your freezer temperature in the safe zone of 0 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
If your freezer compartment doesn't stay that low, just know you'll need to use up your frozen foods a bit quicker.
If you're planning on eating your leftovers in one sitting, then you can freeze the whole amount together. But if you want individual servings, then portion out your leftovers and wrap them individually. This is a great trick when you want to grab something for a quick lunch. Instead of reheating an entire half casserole, you have just one serving that's ready to go. (
Note:
Whatever you do, don't thaw a large amount because you expect to finish it in a day or two and then decide later to refreeze it. That isn't good for the quality of your food.)
Do you ever wonder whether some of the items in your freezer have been there for years? Avoid losing foods in your freezer compartment by grabbing some masking tape and a mar and writing down the date that you put the leftovers in the freezer. Doing so makes it easy to know how long the food has been in there so you can discard ancient entrees. You can also keep a log of what you have in the freezer along with the date it went in there. This way you can easily see what you have in the freezer without having to rummage through the cold.You should also know that even frozen foods have a limit on how long they'll remain good. Here's how long certain leftovers will last in your freezer:
Two months
Two to three months
Four to six months
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