Post by Emily on Jan 31, 2013 23:00:38 GMT -5
Tonight I wanted something very American, and definitely cheesy. So I made up some Chicken and Bacon Ranch Macafoni and Cheese. Boy, was it creamy and delicious! I enjoyed every bite. I washed it down with a bottle of stevia sweetened root beer, keeping up with the American theme. =)
I'm not really a purist, but I am a stickler for the plan. I hardly EVER eat cheat meals. Even over Christmas! I consider something like this my "cheat meal." Sometimes I just have a craving, and eating salad, extra virgin coconut oil, and wild caught salmon just doesn't cut it for me. When that happens I really try to let loose and find a way to make my cravings fit on plan. This really hit the spot tonight, and I didn't feel any of the guilt or ill effects I would have had if I had eaten regular pasta with this dish, or gone out to a restaurant. Now I just feel happy. =) And I still got some veggies in my meal too!
This came together quickly, and with minimal effort. Here's what I did:
While I steamed some cauliflower, I fried some bacon in a skillet (this can be turkey or regular bacon, whatever you prefer) and chopped up some chicken tenderloin pieces. The chicken was still mostly frozen, but I could at least cut it up.
When the bacon was finished, I added some expeller pressed coconut oil to the pan and then threw in the chicken pieces to saute, along with some sea salt and black pepper.
Then I whipped up the cheese sauce from the THM book recipe "Macafoni and Cheese." I made this one "3 cheese," using the cream cheese, cheddar (I used white cheddar), and some Pecorino Romano.
I also added a Parmesan, garlic and herb seasoning to the sauce. You could use a homemade or store bought ranch seasoning mix, or some garlic and onion powder, dried chives, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. I also used some gluccie to thicken my cheese sauce.
Chop up your steamed cauliflower (I steamed my very soft, and chopped it quite small), and crumble or chop your bacon into tiny pieces.
Mix the cauliflower and chicken into the cheese sauce, and then serve, sprinkling the bacon on top.
So yummy!
This could be a meal all its own, like I had it, or you could have a simple side salad with it. It would make a great Super Bowl meal too!