Savory - Chicken Cauliflower Casserole

I've recently begun investing more energy into learning how to cook and eat well. Baking is my first love, but let's not kid around - all those cups of sugar and butter aren't helping me achieve my ideal beach body. A few good looks in the mirror and a membership to a gym (complete with nutritionist visits and tips!) later, and thus began my foray into making real food. Funnily enough, all of them still involve baking! Go figure :P

This recipe has become one of my favorites; I cobbled it together from a few different casserole dishes online to suit my particular diet. It's loaded with chicken, turkey bacon, cauliflower and cheese, and has a very creamy texture.Yet, it has ridiculously low calories for a really decent portion, will still keep you full due to the protein and fat, and it is overall very healthy (which is impressive, when bacon and cheese are involved!) Best of all, it's quite easy to make - and can be even easier if you get pre-cooked chicken! Otherwise, you do like me, and get really good at multitasking :) My only thought is it's a bit low on carbs (for energy), but adding some veggies or fruit on the side solves that problem quickly!

I'd recommend assembling all the ingredients while the oven is preheating, then preparing the cauliflower, bacon and onions while the chicken is cooking to save on time.  After all, less time cooking = earlier dinner time :D

Pro tip: You can also bake the chicken in the casserole dish to save on washing up!

And you can make it purple. Enough said.

Ingredients:
Serves 8

~1.3 lb lean chicken breast, raw (or ~1 lb/16 oz cooked)
olive oil, salt, pepper to taste
4 oz Trader Joe's reduced fat turkey bacon
2 heads cauliflower
8 oz shredded cheese(s) of choice (Italian mix is good, so is Cheddar/Jack mix!)
1/2 onion
2-3 green onions
1-3 cloves garlic


To Make:
~ 35 mins

Chicken, if raw (25 mins):
- Set oven to preheat to 400, and place a saucepot with about 1" water to boil on stove.
- Season chicken lightly with 1-2 tbsp olive oil, a bit of salt and pepper, and bake at 400 for about 20-25 mins (flip halfway through). Once done, shred chicken to desired bite sizes.
- Reduce oven to 350.

Cauliflower (15 mins):
- Cut cauliflower into florets, and rinse in water to make sure no dirt remains. Once water in pot is bubbling, steam the cauliflower for 10-12 mins (place lid on pot to capture steam), until fork can easily be inserted into the florets. (Alternatively, can microwave in bowl with a bit of water and plastic wrap over top for same amount of time).

Bacon, Onion, Assembly (10 mins):
- Cook turkey bacon in pan to desired level of crispness, then dice and set aside.
- Cut half of a sweet onion and saute until translucent.
- Place chicken, bacon, cauliflower, onion, and 3/4 of the cheese into your baking dish.
- Thinly cut green onions and mince garlic cloves and add as well.
- Mix all ingredients to desired consistency (or keep them layered, up to you!), and break up cauliflower florets into smaller pieces if desired.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cheese over top.


To Bake:
~ 30 mins

- Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 5 mins.
Makes 8 servings.

Approximate Nutrition Information (per serving):

230 Cals
9.6 g fat (4.6 saturated)
79 mg cholesterol
440 mg sodium
5 g carb (2 g fiber, 1.9 g sugar)
30 g protein