Freezer Quiche

This week is freezer clean-out meal week in our house.  Our chest freezer has a knack for hiding things at the bottom, and I try not to let anything go to waste if I can help it!  This week I'm trying to use up some of the things I have in the freezer, and this is what I've come up with.  Enjoy!

Freezer Quiche

Crust:

1.5 cups baking mix

1/4 cup butter

2 T. boiling water

In small bowl, mix baking mix & butter until well blended. (I pulsed it in my food processor.) Add boiling water and stir vigorously until dough forms.  Press dough evenly into 9-inch pie plate.

Filling:

6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

5 oz frozen broccoli florets (1/2 a bag), chopped

1/2 cup spreadable cheese with garlic & herbs (I used Alouette)

4 eggs

3/4 cup milk

pinch cayenne

Sprinkle bacon and broccoli evenly in the bottom of the crust.  Whisk together eggs, milk, cheese and cayenne.  Pour over bacon mixture.  Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.  

*You could also use spinach or asparagus too!
** You can totally use store bought crust too, but this one was pretty good! 

Creamy Potato Broccoli Bake

I love potatoes, I love broccoli, and I love this type of dish.  It's not way outside my normal cooking set, but it was yummy, so I hope you try it and enjoy it also!

Creamy Potato Broccoli Bake

3 lbs red potatoes
1-1.5 head broccoli (depending on size)
1 can healthy request cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup margarine, melted (I used Smart Balance Light)
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Wash potatoes and dice into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces similar in size to potatoes (so that they cook evenly).  Mix broccoli, potatoes, and cheese together in a large bowl.  Mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and margarine together separately, then pour over potato mixture and mix together.  Pour into greased baking dish and bake, covered, at 375 for 40-45 minutes.  

Makes 6-8 servings.

(We had this with pot roast and green beans... but you can put it with chicken, pork, beef, etc.  Hope you like it!)

Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower

I've found a new veggie recipe that I love! :) As much as I love to smother broccoli in a nice cheesy casserole, this was a really simple and healthy way to get our yummy green vitamins. I'll warn, though - I eyeballed and guessed on pretty much all the measurements, so if that's not your style of cooking, this may not work for you. Give it a shot, though!

Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb broccoli & cauliflower florets
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. onion powder
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese (I used reduced fat)
pinch of salt

You don't have to do this part, but I highly recommend it: a couple hours before you plan to bake this, mix the garlic, onion and olive oil together and let it sit until you're ready to finish the dish. It will infuse the oil and make it extra yummy!

Mix the olive oil, garlic, and onion powder together. Cut the broccoli/cauliflower into bite-sized pieces, roughly the same size. Drizzle the olive oil mixture over the broccoli and toss to coat. Pour the water into the bottom of a baking dish, pour the broccoli on top. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the broccoli, and salt to taste. Bake covered at 400 for 15 minutes. (If you're like me and like your broccoli on the more tender side, you might even bake it for 20 minutes.) When it is finished baking, sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

Here's what our dinner plates looked like tonight:

Broccoli Rice

Side dishes can be so dangerous for a diet, can't they? They add up the calorie count with cheese, starch, butter or oil... yikes! How about a tasty side that gets you both veggies and rice for under 100 cals per serving? What if I throw in that it's also super easy? Hope this makes it to your dinner table some time soon!

Broccoli Rice

1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
3/4 cup long grain rice
1/2 pkg. of frozen chopped broccoli, thawed (fresh works great too!)

Combine soup and water first, then stir in rice and broccoli. Pour into 1-quart oven-safe dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Makes 4 servings.

Spontaneous Casserole

It doesn't have a name, but if it did, it would probably be something like "Forgot to Plan Dinner Casserole" or something similar to indicate that I was a little desperate when I put it together. I know this is a fairly uncommon pairing of flavors, but trust me here!

1 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 lb ground beef
1 10-oz pkg chopped broccoli
1 can sloppy joe mix
1 can cream of chicken soup (I used the 98% fat free version)
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever you have on hand)

Cook the rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, brown the meat in a skillet and defrost the broccoli. Allow the meat to cool a bit and combine broccoli and meat in a mixing bowl. Stir in sloppy joe mix and soup. When the rice is done, pour it into the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish. Pour meat mixture evenly on top of the rice. Top with cheese and bake at 375 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly.