Baked Chayote and Cheese

[Twinkle]

I wanted a different vegetable so I adapted a recipe when I found chayotes at my local grocer for .39 each.

Chayote & Cheese

2 chayote squash
1/2 cup plus 1 T grated parmesan
1/4 cup cream OR half and half
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tablespoon melted butter
dash of black pepper

Boil whole chayotes in salted water for 45 minutes. Remove from water. Cut in half and scoop out the pulp, leaving the shell intact. Mash pulp with remaining ingredients except the 1 T grated parmesan. Place in a casserold dish and sprinkle with the reserved 1 T parmesan. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

[Karen]

This looks delish Twinkle!

Chayote is a great - though underused - vegetable that is a little firmer than other summer squash so it lends itself well to grilling and frying.

Here's the nutritional count and a picture of a raw chayote.

Total Carbohydrates 9.13 g
Dietary Fiber 3.45 g
Total Protein 1.66 g
Total Calories 38.57
Total Fat 0.26 g

Karen

[jude]

Hey Twinkle, were you reading my mind? Chayote is one of those "other" vegetables I've seen in the store, but didn't know what it was or how to cook it. Thanks for posting this recipe.

I've been getting so tired of cauliflower, green/yellow beans, spinach, brocolli--you know, the usual North American veggy fare--and on top of that, I've had a craving for squash, most of which are too high in carbs, so I'm going to enjoy this.

judy

[Twinkle]

I need to work on adapting more recipes to low carb. I still have not tried my idea for the chocolate pudding cake recipe. I have a pan of Taco Meatballs in the oven right now and I'm marinating some boneless porkchops and a steak and I'll throw those on the George Foreman grill and I'll have most of my cooking for the week finished.....I hope!

[jude]

Taco meatballs? That sound interesting....is your recipe on the site?

This way of eating is all about planning, but the closest I've come so far, to real planning is to make sure I only have "legal" foods in the house.

Lately, I've been looking for some "new" ideas. Tried avocados for the first time (isn't that ridiculous?) a couple of weeks ago, and now I eat them every day. And now, chayote. Hey, it's a step in the right direction. I'm on a roll!!

Judy

[secondtime]

Thanks for the great idea. One question though do you put the mashed up pulp back in the shell to cook or just in a casserol dish.

[Twinkle]

Put it back in the shell. It makes a pretty presentation that way.

[CarolynC]

I just bought a chayote for the first time. I read on the Cook's Thesaurus website that it needs to be peeled before cooking. Why? Is this really necessary? I don't peel yellow squash or zucchinis when I cook them.

Thanks in advance for your input :)