Kitchen Experiments #3

Good morning and welcome to another episode of Kitchen Experiments with Christie O. where we dive into some sort of concoction and see how it turns out.

This week, we're trying a low-fat vegetable casserole. I superlove cheese (despite the cheese cube rant and besides, this cheese happens to be of the low-fat variety and will also function as only a piece of the whole recipe, thus not being the entire meal.)

I love veggies. And I love trying to figure out the best ways they can go together. Really, is that too much to ask? So I'm searching high and low for a veggie casserole that incorporates squash, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots (all my faves). I found this recipe and it was deelish --(you're welcomed to try it!), but that one was just a little too fattening for me, so I needed to tone it down. The result was this, and it was pretty darn yummy (official reviews below).

So here are the ingredients:

2 cups zucchini, sliced
2 cups squash, sliced
2 10 oz. bags frozen broccoli, carrots, cauliflower (I use Bird's Eye steamers)
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
4 cups Instant Brown Rice
2 Cups Lowfat Shredded Cheddar or whatever Lowfat options you have or desire

*If you want a topping, mix up 1 cup bread crumbs and 1 cup parmesan cheese

Now normally I don't like to have a bunch of pans going at the same time, I like to make life easy for myself, but I did with this one just because I like sauteed onions so much. So in a pan lightly sprayed with Pam, combine onions and garlic. Sautee just a little, put aside. Cook brown rice according to directions, and steam the frozen veggies according to directions. Meantime, in a separate bowl, combine the cottage cheese with one cup of cheddar cheese and the onion soup packet. Add sauteed onions and garlic and mix. Add veggies. (Since there were so many veggies, I actually mixed it all in the baking dish. Don't tell anyone. But if you do that, make sure the pan is sprayed lightly with Pam or whatever spray.)

Combine veggie mix with rice. Sprinkle all over a lightly sprayed 13x9 pan. Top with the other cup of cheddar cheese. If you use a topping, sprinkle it on top of that.

Bake on 375 for 30 minutes.

Makes appx. 6 servings but probably could be 8, it's a lot of darn stuff!

Nutritional info: 450 calories 10 g fat

I suppose you can add mushrooms if you like that sorta thing (I am not a mushroom gal).

But was it the veggie casserole I've been searching for my whole life? I think it might still be out there, but we're getting pretty close! I feel like I'm a mad scientist, still mixing away to improve it (feel free to e-mail me any veggie casseroles, I'm on the prowl!)

In sum, husband preferred the full fat version but said this was still pretty good. (That means I'll keep it around but make it only on occasion.) I personally really liked it and will gladly make it again although I may add a light sour cream next time to make it a little creamier. Poops liked it like he likes everything, which is just kinda sorta. He's a grazer. He only seems to take bites of every meal.

But this one, the Mini:
He cleaned up! Yep, that's my veggie kid. Loves his veggies. That's his second plate full. (BTW he's only nakey because we were going to Cirque du Soleil after dinner and I didn't want him to be a mess. And if you're wondering if Cirque is kid-friendly, stay tuned. I got to review it! Woot!)

Kitchen Experiments #3

https://babytealeaves.blogspot.com/2009/06/kitchen-experiments-3.html