Low Carb Cheesy Southwestern Ham Skillet Recipe

I told my Facebook fans how I baked a 20 pound ham last weekend -- with only the two of us to eat it. I've been coming up with leftover ham recipes ever since. Since lots of people have ham as well as turkey for Thanksgiving, some of you may find this recipe comes in handy a week from now.

Cheesy Southwestern Ham Skillet

Looking for new things to do with leftover ham, I found a recipe that combine cubed ham with pasta and two kinds of jarred cheese sauce. That wasn't happening, but the basic flavor combination sounded good. This is what came of it. The best part was that it used only stuff I already had in the house. Oh, and that That Nice Boy I Married loved it!

1/2 cauliflower, head
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or olive oil, or butter, or ham grease)
2 cups diced ham -- 1/2" cubes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded jalapeno jack cheese
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons minced jalapeno -- I used jarred -- or to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 ounces cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
tabasco sauce -- to taste

Trim the bottom of the stem and the leaves off your half-cauliflower. Whack the remainder into 1/2" chunks, including the stem. Throw 'em in a microwaveable casserole with a lid or a microwave steamer, add a couple of tablespoons water, cover, and nuke on high for 8 minutes.

In the meanwhile, chop your half onion and your green pepper, and in your big, heavy skillet start them sauteing in the coconut oil.

Dice up your ham. When the onion is translucent, add the ham cubes to the skillet and stir them in.

Now shred your cheese, and have it standing by.

Okay, the microwave has beeped. Drain your cauliflower and add it to the skillet, which will be getting pretty full.

Add the shredded cheese, the garlic, the minced jalapeno, heavy cream and cream cheese -- cut it in chunks -- to the skillet. Turn the burner to low, cover the skillet, and let it all cook for five minutes. Uncover and stir. Recover, and give it another five. Stir again. Repeat until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.

Stir in the cumin and paprika, let the whole thing cook another few minutes, then serve.

5 servings, each with: 348 Calories; 30g Fat (75.8% calories from fat); 14g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 5 g usable carb.