Vegetable Casserole

My husband and I began a Ketogenic diet about 6 months ago. It was working wonderfully for weight loss until a few months ago when we found out my husband has high cholesterol. After a lot of research, I found that a Paleo diet would serve our needs the best, my weight loss needs and my husbands cholesterol needs. As I read many other blogs over the last month or so, adjusting to a Paleo diet seemed like a lot of work. BUT, it seems to make a lot of sense and seems like the solution to our health issues not only in the short term but also realistic in the long term. (I encourage everyone to look into all options for their own diets. Every person is different and you need to find what meets your family's needs.)

We went with a modified/combo version of Keto and Paleo. I brought down the bacon from the Keto diet but kept up cheese. No potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, or sugar. Nothing processed. Ok, I'm not unrealistic, sometimes we do have things that are processed, but it is rare, and usually only in a pinch. So, here is a casserole I made tonight for dinner.

Vegetable Casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2-quart baking dish.

Chop broccoli and slice carrots. I like to take the time to chop all the vegetables at the same time. I'm in the chopping mode, just keep it going.

Steam broccoli and carrots until crisp-tender. I have been told that it takes around 3 minutes, but mine took about 6 minutes.

While the broccoli and carrots are steaming, combine cheddar, mayo, hot sauce, and pepper in large bowl and mix well. My husband and I like heat, so I added WAY more than 3 drops of hot sauce.

Add steamed broccoli and carrots, zuchinni, celery, bell pepper, onion, parsley, and basil to cheddar mixture and mix well. Spoon into baking dish.

Due to our diet restrictions I don't keep bread crumbs, crackers, or potato chips in the house but this casserole needed a crunchy top. I do keep croutons, though. (I know, NOT Keto or Paleo but I can't eat salad without them and I eat a lot of salad. I figure a couple won't kill me.) I took about 10-12 croutons and put them in my food processor, using the pulse button until it became fine.

I mixed those with half a cup of parmesan cheese and sprinkled it on top of the casserole.

Bake until hot and slightly brown on top, about 30-40 minutes.

I used this as a side dish, so I cooked some kielbasi and added a side salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My husband had two helpings!

Enjoy!

Vegetable Casserole

2 cups broccoli florets

2 large sliced carrots

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup mayonnaise

3 drops hot sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

1 sliced zuchinni

1 stalk celery, sliced

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

1/2 c onion, chopped

1 T Parsley

1 T Basil

10-12 Croutons

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2-quart baking dish.

2. Steam broccoli and carrots until crisp-tender. About 3 minutes.

3. Combine cheddar, mayo, hot sauce, and pepper in a large bowl and mix well.

4. Add broccoli, carrots, zuchinni, celery, bell pepper, onion, parsley, and basil to cheddar mixture and mix well. Spoon into baking dish.

5. Put croutons in food processor and pulse until fine. Stir in parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over casserole.

6. Bake in oven about 30-40 minutes, until hot and bubbly.