Chicken Divan

Along with trying the recipes in the Deceptively Delicious book, I've been trying to use the concepts I learned to adapt my own recipes.

One of our favorite dinners is Chicken Divan, or Rice/Chicken/Broccoli casserole.
So, here is the recipe, with my adaptions:

2 (10 oz) pkgs. frozen broccoli florets
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 cup cottage cheese
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
breadcrumb
Parmesan or cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Slightly cook broccoli and set aside.
Combine soup, buttermilk, cottage cheese, lemon juice, and curry powder in blender and puree.
In a 13x9 baking dish, layer 1/2 soup mixture, all of the rice, all of the chicken & broccoli. Top with remaining soup mixture.
Dust with breadcrumb & cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

My adaptions:
Add 1/2 cup broccoli puree to the soup mixture. I used this instead of the broccoli florets on top, but you could do both.
Add 1/2 cup cauliflower puree to soup mixture.
I used low-fat cottage cheese. I have also low-fat ricotta cheese when I didn't have cottage cheese.
I didn't have buttermilk so I put 1/2 Tbsp. of white vinegar in a 1/2 cup measuring cup and filled the remainder with milk.
I added another drop of lemon juice and a sprinkle of curry powder because the flavors weren't as strong after I added the broccoli and cauliflower.
I add ground flax seeds to the breadcrumb topping.

Tofu Nuggets

My childhood friend turned cousin-in-law got me excited about a book called Deceptively Delicious. I saw it on clearance at Deseret Book so I bought it.
I love the concept of hiding vegetables in food. DH & DD are good vegetable eaters, so really I bought this with myself in mind.
I spent an evening pureeing foods so I'd have them ready in the freezer. For lunch I decided to make tofu nuggets for DD & myself. I had to make these when DH was working, he gags at the thought of tofu.

I thought they were delicious!


Tofu Nuggets

1 cup whole wheat or white breadcrumbs ( I only had Italian and I think it added lots of flavor)
1 TBSP flax seed meal (buy a big jar at Costco for cheap)
1 TBSP grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 cup spinach, broccoli or pea puree (I used broccoli)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 (14. oz) package extra firm tofu , preferably with calcium
1/2 tsp. salt
Nonstick cooking spray
1 TBSP olive oil


1. In a bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, flax seed meal, Parmesan, and paprika. Set aside.
2. In a shallow bowl, much puree and egg with a fork, and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Slice the tofu 1/2 inch thick and cube it or cut into shapes with cookie cutter. Sprinkle both sides with salt. Dip tofu pieces into the puree mixture, then roll them in breadcrumbs until the tofu is completely covered and you can't see the puree.
4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil.
5. Add the tofu nuggets in a single layer (be careful not to crowd the pan!) and cook until nicely browned on one side 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook until breadcrumb coating is crisp and golden, 2 to 3 minutes longer.