Oktober

On Monday October 23, 4 members met to plan for cooking on Thursday. We decided to try our hand at a Southwestern Breakfast Casserole, Lemon Chicken & Wild Rice Soup, Spinach Calzone, Chicken, Artichoke & Broccoli Casserole as well as the ever-festive Pumpkin-Orange Spice Loaf. The cost for this month's fare was $7.

On Thursday October 26 seven members came together and whipped up the following recipes:

Southwestern Breakfast Casserole
From Cooking Light

You can assemble this entire dish up to a week ahead. Bake the corn muffin mix ahead; store in an airtight container in the freezer for a couple of days. Assemble the casserole according to directions; cover and freeze. A day in advance, take it out of the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator (about 24 hours). Uncover and let stand 30 minutes at room temperature before cooking; bake as directed.

Ingredients
1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix
3 cups (1/2-inch) cubed white bread
8 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage ( we used Hayter's Original turkey sausage)
1 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 cups fat-free milk (we used a little less milk as per cooking light reviews)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (we used salsa instead)
1 (8-ounce) carton egg substitute
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack or mild cheddar cheese, divided

Directions
Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions; cool. Crumble muffins into a large bowl; stir in bread. Set aside.
Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain.

Combine milk, cumin, pepper, tomatoes, and egg substitute; stir with a whisk until well-blended. Add sausage mixture; stir well. Stir into bread mixture. Spoon half of bread mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with 1/2 cup cheese. Spoon remaining bread mixture over cheese. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bake casserole at 350° for 20 minutes or until set. Top with 1/2 cup cheese, and bake an additional 20 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 servings

Lemon Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Butter
1 small onion diced
2 ribs of celery, diced fine
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 red bell pepper, diced into 1/4 " pieces
1/4 Cup flour
1 Cup water
6 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 lb. chicken meat, diced into 1/2" pieces
1/4 1b. wild rice blend, cooked
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 Cup milk
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Directions
In medium pan, slowly melt butter over low heat until hot. Add onion and sauté until translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add celery and continue cooking until tender. Add thyme and red pepper, mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add flour, mix well, and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Place water in soup pot. Add chicken stock and sautéed vegetable mixture. Add chicken, wild rice, lemon juice, and milk. Bring to a boil, and continue cooking until soup is thickened. Sprinkle in chopped parsley, mix well. Remove from heat.

Serve hot.

Spinach Calzone
From Cooking Light

We came up with this recipe while trying to find a use for leftover ingredients from a spinach lasagna. We like this dish because it's easy to make, tastes great, and packs in a lot of calcium. Served with a salad, it's a satisfying meal.

Ingredients

3/4 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese objec
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream object
1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese object
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 (7-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust
Cooking spray
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese object
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups bottled fat-free Italian herb pasta sauce (such as Muir Glen)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first 4 ingredients; beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until well-blended. Stir in spinach, bell peppers, garlic powder, and black pepper.

Unroll pizza crust onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread spinach mixture over half of the crust, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar over spinach mixture. Fold dough over filling; press edges together to seal.

Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until browned. Cool on a wire rack 5 minutes. Heat pasta sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cut calzone into 6 squares, and top with sauce.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 square and 1/4 cup sauce)

Chicken, Artichoke, & Broccoli Casserole
From the Big Book of Casseroles

Layers of tender chicken breasts, artichokes, and crisp broccoli meld together in a flavourful cheese sauce. This casserole takes time to prepare, but once the casserole is made, your dinner party will be a success.

Ingredients

4 cups of broccoli florets

4 tablespoons of butter or margarine

12 onces mushrooms, sliced

4 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups Rich Chicken Stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

4 cooked chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs), cut into bite size pieces

1 can (14 onces) quartered artichoke hearts, drained

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top

Directions

Add some water to a pan fitted with a steamer rack over medium heat. Place broccoli on rack and steam, covered, over gently boiling water until tender-crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain under cold water and set aside on a large plate.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add flour and blen. Add stock, mustard, and seasonings and whisk until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add cheese and stir until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a 4 quart casserole dish place half the chicken, top with half the vegetables and repeat layers once more. Pour sauce over all. Cover and bake until bubbly, about 40 minutes. Sir and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, until cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Pumpkin-Orange Spice Loaf

From Cooking Light

Pumpkin is rich in both beta carotene and vitamin C, while whole-wheat flour adds an extra dose of fiber. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap, cinch the top with festive ribbon, and place decorative stickers around the top and sides. The bread can also be baked in miniature loaf pans for 45 minutes and wrapped as smaller individual gifts.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened object

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

1 large egg

Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and the next 6 ingredients (flours through cloves) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine the sugar and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Pour batter into an 8-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

A big thank you to Hansen's Independent Grocer & Hayter's Turkey Products for their generous continued support!