Cheesy Sausage, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole

This dish was decent.  I thought it would be more of a comfort dish, but it really wasn't.  The tasted was better for left-overs.  Make sure to half the recipe if it's only 2 people.

Cheesy Sausage, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole

Photo by ALB

We traded white rice for whole-grain quinoa and kicked out any processed ingredients for a new take on this comfort classic. Freeze an extra pan of this whole-grain main for kid-friendly comfort. To add more flavor to quinoa, try toasting it. Here's how: After you've rinsed and drained the quinoa, heat a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the quinoa. Toast, stirring, until the grains begin to smell fragrant. Then, add the water and cook as normal.

Yield: Serves 12 (serving size: about 1 cup)
(Half the recipe)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
4 (4-oz.) links sweet chicken Italian sausage, casings removed (used pork)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups whole milk
2 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
6 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup whole-wheat panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Bring 2 1/2 cups water and quinoa to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 12 to 14 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove pan from heat; let stand 5 minutes.

3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, and sausage; cook 7 minutes, stirring to crumble sausage. Remove sausage mixture to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

4. Add flour, butter, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add milk and stock; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium; stir in broccoli, 2 teaspoons thyme, 3/8 teaspoon salt, 3/8 teaspoon black pepper, and red pepper. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Stir in quinoa and sausage mixture.

5. Coat 2 (8-inch) square microwave-safe glass or ceramic baking dishes with cooking spray. Divide quinoa mixture between dishes. Combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and panko in a bowl; add remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and cheddar. Sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over casseroles. Bake at 400°F for 18 minutes or until browned, or follow freezing instructions.

How To: FREEZE: Cool unbaked casseroles completely; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Freeze up to 2 months. THAW: Remove foil. Microwave at HIGH 20 minutes or until thawed. REHEAT: Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes; then broil 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 296; Fat: 13 g; Satfat: 5.3 g; Monofat: 4.7 g; Polyfat: 2.3 g; Protein: 17 g; Carbohydrate: 28 g; Fiber: 4 g; Cholesterol: 48 mg; Iron: 2 mg; Sodium: 399 mg; Calcium: 154 mg; Sugars: 4 g; Est. Added Sugars: 0 g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2016

One-Pot Cheesy Pasta Bake

This was a good dish.  Except it was missing a key ingredient...garlic. So D added it in.  I liked it better as a left over but overall I'd have it again.

One-Pot Cheesy Pasta Bake

Photo by ALB

This easy skillet pasta bake is a surefire family hit. Pasta and meat sauce topped with mozzarella cheese will make everyone at the table happy, and the all-in-one-pot technique will have the cook smiling pretty. Cooking the pasta in the meat sauce not only lessens the amount of dishes you have to do and the time it takes to get dinner done, but the starches in the pasta thicken the sauce—without you having to do a single extra thing.

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
Add garlic
8 ounces 90% lean ground beef
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups unsalted crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
8 ounces uncooked whole-grain penne pasta
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
4 ounces preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)

Preparation
1. Preheat broiler to high. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add onion (and garlic); sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and oregano; cook 3 minutes, stirring to crumble.

2. Add stock, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and pasta; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 to 13 minutes or until pasta is done. Stir in spinach.

3. Sprinkle cheese over pasta mixture. Place pan in oven; broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 457; Fat: 16.6 g; Sat fat: 5.9 g; Mono fat: 6.3 g; Poly fat: 0.8 g; Protein: 31 g; Carbohydrate: 52 g; Fiber: 9 g; Cholesterol: 52 mg; Iron: 7 mg; Sodium: 598 mg; Calcium: 281 mg; Sugars: 8 g; Est. Added Sugars: 0 g

Cooking Light, September 2016

Rainbow Fried Rice

Eat this with the Char Sil.

Rainbow Fried Rice

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup chopped Char Sil
4 cups cooked long-grain rice, chilled
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup minced green onions
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Preparation
Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggs; stir-fry for 1 minute or until done. Remove from pan.

Add yellow onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until translucent. Stir in Chinese-Style Roast Pork; stir-fry 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Add rice and soy sauce; stir-fry 2 minutes. Return eggs to pan; cook 1 minute. Stir in iceberg lettuce, green peas, salt, and white pepper; stir-fry 1 minute. Sprinkle with green onions, and drizzle with sesame oil.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 219 (28% from fat); FAT 6.7g (sat 1.4g,mono 3.1g,poly 1.5g); PROTEIN 9.7g; CHOLESTEROL 85mg; CALCIUM 33mg; SODIUM 455mg; FIBER 1.7g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2005

Chinese-Style Roast Pork (Char Sil)

We have no Chinese Restaurants by us. So we have to come up with our own. I have made this. It is easy and good!  Use the extra Char Sil for Rainbow Fried Rice.

Chinese-Style Roast Pork (Char Sil)

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons minced green onions
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed and cut into (2-inch) cubes

Preparation
Combine first 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place pork on the rack of a broiler pan lined with foil. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Turn pork over, and baste with reserved marinade. Discard remaining marinade. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink). Preheat broiler. Broil pork 5 minutes or until browned.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)

Nutritional Information 
CALORIES 193 (41% from fat); FAT 8.9g (sat 3g,mono 4g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 21.2g; CHOLESTEROL 73mg; CALCIUM 28mg; SODIUM 249mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 5.8g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2005

Cheater Korean Beef

I thought I would try to help cook each week, so I found this recipe.  I didn't end up making it, but D did.  It was very flavorful, and pretty fast.  There was a lot of spiciness to it, although as leftovers it was subdued (but still very good).

We had with Bibb Lettuce (as wraps), and rice.  Will definitely have again.

Cheater Korean Beef

Photo by ALB

Recipe adapted from Barefeet in the Kitchen
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 pounds 93/7 ground beef
3-4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, cut into tiny matchsticks
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup soy sauce
2-3 teaspoons chili paste
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, adjust to taste
1 cup green beans, cut into bite size pieces
3 green onions, sliced thin

Preparation
Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the beef until cooked through, crumbling it as it browns. Drain thoroughly, then add the garlic and ginger and cook another minute or two until fragrant.

Whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, and chili paste. Pour the liquids over the beef, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes to blend the flavors and slightly thicken the sauce. Add the beans, stir and simmer a minute longer. The beans will warm in the hot skillet. Enjoy!

Broccoli and Cheddar Chicken Pasta

So this was very good.  The Broccoli Sauce was different.  Next time we are going to add regular broccoli (not processed) to bulk it up.

Broccoli and Cheddar Chicken Pasta

Photo by ALB

Instead of adding broccoli florets to the pasta, a double serving is incorporated into the creamy sauce. Heat the broccoli and sear the chicken while the pasta cooking water comes to a boil. The leaner dairy components create a creamy taste without all the added calories and fat or a typical broccoli and cheddar pasta dish.

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked whole-grain penne pasta (used regular penne)
2 cups frozen steam-in-bag broccoli florets (used 2 C, fresh)
Add fresh steam (to not put in the food processor) (used 2 more C, fresh)
1 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces (used breasts)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 ounces preshredded 2% reduced-fat Mexican-blend cheese (about 3/4 cup) (used regular fat cheddar)
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Heat broccoli according to package directions; cool slightly. Combine stock, milk, and flour in a bowl. Place broccoli and stock mixture in a blender; blend until smooth.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broccoli mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in pasta, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in cheese. Top with green onions.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 436; Fat: 10.5 g; Sat fat: 4.4 g; Mono fat: 2.8 g; Poly fat: 1.6 g; Protein: 33 g; Carbohydrate: 52 g; Fiber: 7 g; Cholesterol: 99 mg; Iron: 3 mg; Sodium: 564 mg; Calcium: 348 mg; Sugars: 4 g; Est. Added Sugars: 0 g 

Cooking Light, September 2016

11 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 4 servings)