Breakfast Casserole

Hashbrowns (I use patties, but you can use shredded or cubed)
4 cups grated cheese (2 cups cheddar, 2 cups swiss or all cheddar or whatever mix you like)
2 cups meat (bacon pieces, cubed ham, or sausage)
1 can evaporated milk
6 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

Place thawed hashbrowns in the bottom of a 9x13 pan, pour melted butter over the top. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

*drop oven temp to 375’.

Mix all other ingredients and pour over the hashbrowns. Bake 40-45 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

This recipe is from a cookbook called, The Juan-Carlos Cruz Calorie Countdown Cookbook, by Juan-Carlos Cruz.  It's my favorite recipe in the whole book. 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound tomatillos, husked and quartered, or 1 (13 oz) can, drained

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies

1/4 cup egg substitute

salt 

black pepper

2 tsp. olive oil

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground coriander

3/4 cup beer (or chicken broth)

olive oil cooking spray

8 corn tortillas

3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

3 Tbsp low-fat sour cream

Directions:

1.  If using fresh tomatillos, preheat the broiler.  Place the quartered tomatillos and roast for about 5 minutes, or until softened.  Remove from broiler and transfer to a blender (if using canned tomatillos, drain and place directly in the blender).  Add the cilantro, half the green chilies and the egg substitute.  Pulse until you have a salsa with a chunky consistency.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

2.  Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add the onions and saute until tender, then stir in garlic.  Saute one minute longer until fragrant, add chicken breast, remaining green chilies, cumin, coriander and salt to taste.  Turn the heat to medium high and saute chicken mixture for 5-10 minutes, until cooked through.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add the beer (or chicken broth)and bring pan to a boil, stirring constantly to scrape up any tasty food particles on the bottom of the pan.  Boil until there is only about a 1/4 cup of liquid in the pan.  Stir the chicken mixture back into the pan and set aside.

3.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Lightly grease a casserole dish with the olive oil spray.  Fill a medium size sauce pan with water and bring o a simmer.  Using tongs, dip a tortilla into the water, count  seconds then remove.  You must dip the tortillas quickly, the goal is to soften it so that it's easy to roll, but bot to moisten it so much that it falls apart.*  Place about 1/3 cup of the filling on each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in the casserole dish.  when all the tortillas have been filled, pour the sauce over them and place in the oven.  bake 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven, top with the cheeses and return to the oven to bake for 10-15 more minutes, until the cheese has melted and the enchiladas are bubbling.  Serve warm, garnish with the low-fat sour cream.

*  In step 3 where the recipe talks about dipping the tortilla in water and blah, blah blah...  Well, I usually skip this step, it just takes too long for my liking.  Instead, I put a layer of tortillas on the bottom of the casserole dish, layer them with the filling and then top with a second layer of tortillas.  Then I pour the sauce over the top and I follow the rest of the recipe like it says.  However, I find that I usually need 10-12 tortillas instead of the 8 that the recipe calls for if I do it like this.  Kind of an enchilada casserole instead.

I also like to eat this with some rice, beans and over a bed of lettuce like a taco/enchilada salad with some salsa in addition to the sour cream.  Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Breasts

RecipeZaar #45246

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
8 slices swiss cheese
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/4 cup apple juice
1 cup herb seasoned stuffing mix, crushed
1/4 cup margarine, melted

Directions
1. Prepare a 13x9-inch baking dish with non-stick spray and arrange breasts in dish.
2. Top with cheese slices.
3. Mix soup and apple juice together till well combined.
4. Spoon evenly over chicken breasts.
5. Sprinkle stuffing mix over soup.
6. Drizzle butter over crumbs.
7. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes to an hour, or till chicken is tender.

Baked Ziti

RecipeZaar #22176

1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32 ounce) jar meatless sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta, cooked and drained
2 (8 ounce) cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet, cook ground beef, onions, and garlic over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until beef is browned; stirring frequently.
3. Stir in spaghetti sauce, chicken broth, and oregano.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Stir 1 cup of the sauce into the cooked ziti noodles.
6. Spoon 1/2 of the ziti mixture into a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
7. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
8. Top with 2 cups sauce, then remaining ziti mixture and remaining sauce.
9. Cover and bake 20 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
11. Return to oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Chicken Broccoli Cordon Bleu Casserole

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 (16 oz) bag cut-up frozen broccoli
1 cup ham, diced
4 oz. swiss cheese, diced
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Cut chicken breasts into strips. Saute garlic and chicken strips in butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until cooked and lightly browned. Place broccoli in bottom of 2 quart casserole. Lay chicken strips over broccoli. Top chicken with diced ham and cheese. In small bowl combine soup and milk and pour over chicken mixture in casserole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes in 350 degree oven.