As I've mentioned, I try to eat real most of the time and avoid processed foods for the most part. But I'm not particularly zealous about it. If you are then you won't like this recipe.

This came about because Sav-a-Lot had the Veggie Ranch dip for 50¢ on its sell-by date. I normally wouldn't have bought it but knew I could make some sort of sauce with it, and this is what I ended up with.

I've been buying those 20 oz packages of ham and turkey when they go on sale for $1.49/pkg. They're good to have in the freezer for something fast; we eat 1-2 of these packages a month, usually on sandwiches or I fry some in bacon fat to serve with a couple of sides, or whatever. This is the first time I've used it in a casserole. While any leftover turkey or chicken will work, this is just what I had and what I used; you will want to alter this recipe to add liquid and salt if you use (cooked) fresh.

Filling:
20 oz pkg turkey breast meat (as described above)
1# frozen broccoli/cauliflower/carrot blend
10 oz box chopped spinach
16 oz carton Veggie Ranch dip

Thaw veggies; chop turkey and vegetables into bite-sized chunks; toss all above ingredients in large mixing bowl until thoroughly mixed; spread into greased 9x12 baking dish; set aside.

Topping:
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp olive oil (or melted butter, coconut oil, bacon fat, or other fat; I just used the olive         oil because it was sitting right there on the counter within reach)
1/2c half'n'half (I would have used cream if I'd had it)
1c Carbquik
1/4c Parmesan Cheese (from the can)

In SAME MIXING BOWL, without cleaning first, beat eggs; add olive oil (or fat of choice) and cream; beat until mixed well, incorporating as much of the filling leftovers from the sides of the bowl as you can; mix in CarbQuik. This will be a bit thinner than biscuit dough but not nearly as thin as pancake batter - should be spreadable.

Drop by spoonfuls on top of filling, then lightly spread to cover. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top; bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes until top is browned.

NOTES:
- No salt is needed, there is plenty in the meat; you will need to add salt if you are using fresh meat rather than processed. I don't use pepper, but by all means add it if you like it. There is also a lot of liquid in the turkey I used, which mixed with the dip to thin it out a bit; you may need to compensate if you use real meat.
- Using the leftovers in the mixing bowl in the topping will add some acid (from sour cream in the dip) which will work with the baking powder in the CarbQuik to give some rise to it. The finished topping won't be thick or heavy (like dumplings) but rather a light tasty crust.
- This isn't the healthiest of the meals I prepare due to the processed turkey, dip, canned parm, and CarbQuik - but it is cheap, and it is easy, and it is low carb, which is what this blog is about....and it is SUPER SUPER delicious, hubby and I really loved it, I will probably prepare it once a month although not in a weekly rotation.

I started the day with some cheese melted in butter with bacon, so naturally I wasn't hungry for many hours. Later this afternoon I nibbled on some ham slathered with full fat mayo.

Tonight I didn't want a huge supper so this was it. Tuna salad (just canned tuna, mayo, and some chopped onion) on a slice of store-bought low carb bread (which I hardly EVER eat!), with some slices of swiss on top, put under the broiler. And some frozen cauliflower chunks, tossed with olive oil and sea salt, put on the top shelf of the oven @ 400; tossed when starting to brown with parmesan (from the can) and garlic powder, then left until golden brown with crispy bits.

A lot of food on my plate, too much for me actually, but have plenty of leftover cauliflower to reheat for snacking tomorrow.

Sometimes the simplest meals are the best!

Supper was a last-minute, thrown-together deal. I heavily seasoned some b/s chicken breast strips with garlic and chili powder, plus a little sea salt, then cooked them in a frying pan with olive oil. When they were done I cut them into big (2-bite) chunks and tossed them with the pan juices to coat all sides. I also made a simple dip of 2 parts ranch dressing and one part sour cream (full-fat of course). Buttered cauliflower with cheese sprinkled on top was our vegetable.

I made a meatloaf using 1 lb of ground beef, half a bag of porkies crushed, about a Tbsp of worchestershire sauce, a quarter of an onion chopped finely and an egg.

In another baking dish I poured enough oil to cover the bottom, then mixed in some dry basil and garlic powder. Into that I tossed a bag of frozen cauli, and tossed to coat. S&P lightly.

Both of the above went into a 350 oven.

On the stovetop I put 2 drained cans of sliced shitake mushrooms into a pan with 2T butter (not fake oleo stuff), covered it, and set it on the oven-vent burner. (I don't keep fresh mushrooms because they spoil so quickly; I buy them specially if I have an immediate use for them, but keep canned and dried 'shrooms on hand.)

After 30 minutes I tossed the cauli and returned it to the oven. Then to the mushrooms (with now-melted butter) I added 8 oz of sour cream - full fat of course - a tsp of chili powder, and tsp of beef base, and a generous shake of dry basil. I stirred it all together, re-covered it, and put it on the burner set to its lowest setting.

10 minutes later I removed the meat loaf and roasted cauli from the oven, turned the burner off, and stirred the sour cream/mushroom sauce. I served it over the meatloaf. The cauli was plenty flavorful to stand on its own. The mushroom sauce had a good strong flavor - if I wanted it milder (I didn't) I would have added some cream and used just a half-tsp of the chili powder.