Our Favorite Recipe This Month - Nacho Chicken Casserole

We've found a great recipe for orthodontic patients to enjoy tortilla chips guilt free. Check out the recipe for a great braces-friendly nacho chicken casserole below. Give it a try!

• 1 ½ cups cooked chicken finely shredded
• 2 cups crushed nacho-cheese tortilla chips
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the cheeses. Stir half of the cheese into the chicken mixture. Transfer to a 1qt. Baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake, uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Hope this helps!

The Braces Cookbook: Kid Tested, Orthodontist Approved!

The wisdom of the ages tells us that necessity is the mother of invention. Brenda Waterman, age thirteen, offers new proof of this proverb. When getting braces mandated cutting a list of foods out of her diet – including her much-loved treat of caramel apples – she devised a work-around recipe that let her indulge her craving. This clever replacement for caramel apples was the inspiration for The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You (And Your Orthodontist) Will Love, which Brenda created along with her mom, Pam Waterman.

Anyone with braces knows that it's important to avoid sticky foods, crunchy foods, hard foods, chewy foods, and so on. It's easy to look at the list and think, "What can I eat?" The Watermans' new book tackles that question with creative and thorough answers in the form of 50 braces-friendly recipes, plus additional tips and advice – enough to reassure any doubter.

Neatly divided into chapters such as Definitely Deserved Desserts and Be-Nice-To-Me Beverages, The Braces Cookbook offers a broad assortment of recipes from main courses and sides to breakfasts and snacks. An all-around guide, the book also offers suggestions for packing lunches, preparing quick meals, and handling parties and restaurants, where the food selection isn't under your control. There's even a section of tips for dealing with the soreness that can arise in teeth and gums when braces are adjusted.

Purchase The Braces Cookbook for your kitchen, and pick up an extra copy or two – they make great gifts!

-Alec N. Elchahal, Orthodontist Johns Creek, Suwanee, Dacula GA