Mini Croutons

Last Year's Post:  Tuscan Barley Soup
Two Years Ago:    Chicken Limone Pasta

I love how croutons can give a nice crunch to salads and soups, but I don't love store-bought croutons in a box.  They're huge, hard as a rock, and way over-seasoned to compensate for the fact that they have no taste.  Other than that, they're perfect.

My solution is to make very small croutons, which you can scatter over the top of your salad for nice little crunchy bits with every bite.  By contrast, store-bought croutons on a salad need to be approached with care and planning or you'll end up at the dentist since they're the approximate size and consistency of a matchbox car.  Small croutons are also perfect as a garnish for soups and even for pastas such as spaghetti with pesto or baked pasta dishes.  Crush some of the croutons in a small bowl with the back of a spoon and sprinkle over vegetables such as green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts for a little extra crunch.

You can use any type of bread for this recipe, and a few leftover slices from a loaf are just perfect.  A dark rye might be a nice color contrast to potato or cauliflower soup, for example.  It helps if the bread is thinly sliced to start since you'll be cutting it into tiny cubes.  I would advise against trying to use a food processor because in my experience they produce uneven results - some big pieces, some small - unless you grind the bread all the way down to crumbs.

Another advantage to making your own croutons is that you can add whatever seasonings you like.  It's fun to experiment with Italian seasonings, garlic salt, french seasonings, or even some chili powder to spice up some croutons for something like beer cheese soup.  I listed garlic salt because it's a good basic flavor that will go with a lot of things but feel free to use whatever you want.

I bake croutons rather than using a fry pan to toast them because I think it's easier to control the amount of browning and the oven produces more uniform results.  Just be sure to watch them closely near the end because they brown pretty fast when they're small.

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Mini Croutons

Makes 2 cups

2 cups bread, preferably thin-sliced, cut into 1/3” cubes (approximate)

¼ teaspoon garlic salt (or other seasonings)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350d.

Place the bread into a bowl and add the garlic salt or other seasonings.  Toss to combine.  Slowly add the olive oil in a drizzle while stirring, one tablespoon at a time, until all the croutons are evenly coated.  Taste and adjust seasonings if  needed.

Spread the croutons in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Place on the middle rack of the oven for 5 minutes, then stir and return to the oven for an additional 5-8 minutes until golden brown.  Remove and let cool completely.  If desired, blot on paper towels before storing in an airtight container.

Mexican Chicken Pasta

Last Year's Post:  Roasted Tomato Californian
Two Years Ago:   Chicken Gyros

I had some rotisserie chicken left over recently and was craving comfort food, so I decided to make a Mexican pasta mash-up.  As written, it's very kid-friendly assuming you use a mild salsa but you could easily make it spicier by using a hotter salsa or adding jalapenos.  Next time I'll try using cooked Mexican chorizo in place of the rotisserie chicken because I love spicy chorizo.  The chili powder gives it flavor without heat, but you could also substitute a spicier Mexican seasoning blend of your choice.

The spinach adds great nutrition that kids probably won't even notice.  Oddly, my favorite part was the corn chip garnish - the crunch and salt were great complements to the soft pasta and creamy cheese.  Of course, chips are my all-time favorite food so that might have something to do with it.

Depending on how many people you're feeding, this is a great recipe to divide between two baking dishes and freeze one for later.  It's perfect comfort food while being a little different than your typical Italian baked pasta dish.

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Mexican Chicken Pasta

Serves 6

Note: this recipe can be made more or less spicy based on the type of salsa used.  Adding jalapenos or substituting Mexican chorizo for chicken would also make it spicier. 

10-12 ounces rotisserie chicken, shredded

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons canola oil

½ onion, chopped

½ cup red or green bell pepper, chopped

3 ounce can mild chopped chiles, drained

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Non-stick cooking spray

2 cups salsa

16 ounces rigatoni or ziti pasta, cooked to al dente according to package directions

6 ounces shredded Mexican cheese blend

½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered (optional)

1 avocado, peeled and chopped, tossed with a little lemon juice (optional)

Corn chips or baked tortilla chips (optional, but the crunch factor is very good)

Preheat oven to 350d.

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, garlic powder and chili powder until the spices are evenly distributed.  Set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the spinach and chopped chiles.

Coat two (2-quart) or one (4-quart) baking dishes with cooking spray.  Spread half of the salsa on the bottom, then top with half the pasta, half the chicken, and half of the vegetable mixture.  Pour half of the remaining salsa over the vegetables and top with half of the cheese.  Repeat layering with the remaining pasta, chicken, vegetables and salsa (not cheese).

Bake, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes until heated through.  Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and place under the broiler for a few minutes to melt and brown the cheese, watching closely.  Let stand for five minutes before serving.  If desired, garnish with cherry tomatoes, avocado, and/or corn chips.

 If you used two baking dishes, the second dish may be covered and frozen.  Thaw overnight and continue with baking directions.

Coconut Chicken Fingers

Last Year's Post:Ravioli with Fresh Corn
Two Years Ago:  33 Recipes for Hot Summer Days

If you've ever enjoyed coconut shrimp, you'll like this recipe.  It's very easy to make - just cut up boneless skinless chicken breasts, bread them, brown them until golden, then bake until cooked through.  If you want to save calories and fat you could skip the browning step and just bake them for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, but the pan browning step gives you a browner and crunchier coating.  Your choice.

Coconut shrimp (and chicken) are traditionally served with a dipping sauce that's both sweet and spicy.  The two most common versions are a spicy orange sauce (recipe below) and sweet chili sauce, which is a bottled sauce found in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores.  The sweet chili sauce is actually pretty mild right out of the bottle, but here's a secret that a chef once told me - if you warm it on the stove, it gets progressively hotter in terms of spice level so you can adjust it to your preference.  We chose the sweet chili sauce this time around because we already had a bottle open (and didn't want to open another jar of marmalade since The Lawyer already had three open in the refrigerator, which is another story entirely).  He like the chicken so much that at one point he asked "just where did you get this recipe?" which was pretty funny at least to me.  By the way, sweet chili sauce also makes an excellent dipping sauce for spring rolls or eggs rolls if you're wondering what to do with the rest of the bottle.

You could use unsweetened coconut if you prefer, but we liked the subtle sweetness from using sweetened coconut and felt it went well with the sweet and spicy sauce.  Again, it's your choice.  Isn't cooking great?

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Coconut Chicken Fingers

Serves 4

1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts or cutlets

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

¾ cup Panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 eggs

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup sweet chili sauce (found in the Asian section of grocery stores)

-  or Spicy Honey Orange Sauce (below)

If using chicken breasts, pound to an even thickness.  Cut chicken breasts or cutlets lengthwise into several long strips.

Preheat oven to 400d and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Pulse the shredded coconut in a food processor to make smaller pieces.  Combine with Panko in a shallow bowl.  In a second shallow bowl, whisk the flour, salt and pepper together.  In a third shallow bowl, whisk the eggs.  Line the bowls up in order:  flour, then egg, then coconut/Panko mixture.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Coat each chicken strip in flour, shaking off excess.  Then, dip in egg and let excess drip off.  Finally, generously roll in the coconut mixture and place on a clean plate or baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces prior to putting any in the pan.

When all chicken pieces are ready, place them in the pan (may be done in batches if the pan isn’t large enough).  Fry until the first side is golden brown, about two minutes, then turn and fry until the second side is golden.  One each piece is done, place on the prepared baking sheet.

When all pieces are done, place the baking sheet in the oven for 6-10 minutes until chicken is completely baked through.  Serve with sweet chili sauce or Spice Honey Orange Sauce for dipping.

Note:  baked coconut chicken freezes well for 2-3 months.  Bake frozen chicken in a 350d oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

Spicy Honey Orange Sauce

½ cup orange preserves/marmalade

¼ cup honey

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

 Salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients and add salt to taste.

Sea Bass in Papillote

Last Year's Post: Coq Au Vin
Two Years Ago:  Lobster with Pasta and White Wine-Butter Sauce

Don't let the term "in papillote" (pa-pee-yoh) scare you - it just refers to something baked in a paper or foil pouch to seal in moisture.  Fish is often prepared this way because it cooks perfectly and the accompanying flavors in the pouch infuse the fish while it cooks.  It's really easy, delicious, and kind of spectacular if you serve individual pouches that the diners can open themselves.

This particular recipe for sea bass simplifies the process by cooking all the fish together in one big foil packet, but you can also make individual pouches.  I was cooking for two people, so I put the two pieces of fish in one packet for simplicity.

Sea bass is a wonderful mild white fish that pairs well with the other Mediterranean flavors in the dish, but if you don't care for or can't find sea bass you could substitute halibut, cod, salmon, swordfish, snapper, or any other fish that you like.  This dish follows the principles of a Mediterranean diet so it's not only delicious, it's healthy as well.  Pair with a green vegetable and some brown rice or other whole grain for a complete dinner.

The process is very simple - just assemble the fish with the other ingredients, seal up the foil around it, and bake.  The foil packet may be assembled in advance and refrigerated which makes it a great make-ahead option for entertaining.

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Sea Bass in Papillote

Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 (6-oz) fillets black sea bass or striped bass (1/2 to 1 ¼ inches thick)

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

8 thin lemon slices (from 1 large lemon)

8 sprigs fresh thyme

2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

12 cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved

1 ½ tablespoons drained bottled capers

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400d.  Line a large baking sheet with foil, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil.

Pat fish dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.  Arrange fillets in 1 layer in the center of foil on baking sheet and slide 2 lemon slices under each fillet.  Arrange 2 thyme sprigs on top of each fillet.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté garlic, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened, about 1 minute.  Stir in capers.

Spoon hot tomato mixture over fish, then cover with another sheet of foil, tenting it slightly over fish, and crimp edges together tightly to seal.

Bake until fish is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness of fish); check by removing from the oven and carefully lifting up a corner of the top sheet of foil.  If fish is not cooked through, reseal foil and continue to bake, checking every 3 minutes.

Transfer fillets with lemon slices to plates using a spatula (being careful not to tear the foil underneath) and spoon tomatoes and juices over top.  Discard thyme and serve immediately.

Pretzel Chicken Bites

 Last Year's Post: Forbidden Rice with Turkey, Roasted Squash and Walnuts
Two Years Ago:   Lentil Soup with Spicy Italian Sausage

The terms "football food" or "pub food" normally conjure up visions of delicious but unhealthy treats that are often deep-fried, drenched in cheese, or both.  I was therefore very happy to stumble across this recipe for pretzel chicken bites - little nuggets of chicken meat, coated in mustard and crushed pretzels - that are baked rather than fried.  If you manage to stay away from mustard cheese dipping sauce and serve it with mustard instead, it's actually very healthy.  Just don't tell the football fans.

Pretzels vary widely in terms of their saltiness, so be sure to taste one of the pretzels before you start.  To my surprise, these little thin ones weren't actually all that salty so the chicken bites needed seasoning before serving.

If you like a little spiciness you could add some chili powder to the mustard egg wash or sprinkle a little southwest seasoning on the chicken after baking.  You can also add some kick by serving the chicken bites with Dijon or Wasabi mustard in addition to honey mustard, which I particularly like because then everyone can decide how much kick they prefer.  If you use honey mustard for both the coating and the dip, these are very mild and very suitable for children.

The chicken is very easy to prepare but a little tedious in terms of rolling each flour-dusted piece in egg wash and then in crushed pretzels.  Not hard, but gloppy.

After that you just bake the chicken, turning once, and serve.  They're equally good hot or cold and make a good addition to a buffet table, plus they go great with beer.

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Pretzel Chicken Bites

Serves 6

Note:  these are very mild if you use honey mustard and eliminate chili powder or southwest seasoning.  To make them spicier, you can add spice to the flour, or sprinkle it on at the end of baking, or use Dijon in place of honey mustard.

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

¼ cup flour

Chili powder or southwest seasoning, optional (see note)

1 egg

1 cup honey mustard or Dijon mustard (see note)

5 oz crushed pretzels

Salt

Preheat oven to 425d.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl or a large zip-top bag, toss chicken with flour and optional chili powder or seasoning.  In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and 3 tablespoons mustard.  Place the crushed pretzels in a second shallow bowl.  Dip chicken pieces in egg, then roll in pretzels.  Place on the parchment-lined sheet and bake until cooked, turning once, about 15 minutes.  Season with salt and/or optional seasoning powder; serve with mustard for dipping.

Empanadas with Chicken, Corn and Zucchini

Last Year's Post: Tomato Crumble
Two Years Ago:  Summer Pasta Salad with Fresh Tuna

Empanadas are one of those foods found in many cultures and with many different names.  Basically they're baked or fried turnovers made with bread or pastry dough folded into crescent shapes that enclose a savory meat, cheese and/or vegetable filling. The name "empanada" is used in Spanish-speaking countries of Europe and South America as well as in the United States.  In South America they're very popular as street food, usually fried and eaten out of hand.

I wanted to post this recipe primarily because it's really, really good, but also because it's a baked version (good news), the dough turns out amazingly crisp and light (even better news), and you can freeze them for a really easy dinner during the week (best news).  If you make your own empanadas you can vary the fillings to your taste, and you can make them larger or smaller.  For example, this particular recipe makes ten medium empanadas, which will feed five people (two per person) for a meal with a salad or rice on the side.  One empanada would make a great lunch with some sour cream for dipping plus fruit and carrot sticks, which is what's nice about this particular size.  You could make larger empanadas if you want, or you could make smaller ones as appetizers for a party that would be great as a finger food dipped in salsa or sour cream.

Regarding the filling, I found a recipe for "Three Sisters" empanadas (the three sisters are corn, zucchini and black beans) and substituted some leftover grilled chicken for the black beans.

 If you want a vegetarian version, go with the beans.  I also used pepper jack cheese rather than cheddar, and substituted smoked paprika for chile powder.  All the variations are listed in the recipe below.  You can make the empanadas as mild or spicy as you want by varying the cheese and spices, and you could also add jalapenos for an extra kick.  The way I made them, they were mild but very flavorful which would be good if some of the people you're feeding don't like spice.  The spice-lovers could always use spicy salsa as a condiment to jazz them up.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that this is a somewhat fussy (read time-consuming) recipe.  First you make the dough - which by the way is fast and easy - and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour.  While the dough rests, you roast the zucchini and corn and make the filling.

Then the fun begins - rolling out and filling 10 individual dough rounds (sorry no pictures of the process - I was covered in goo).  That's where it would be an advantage to make larger or smaller empanadas - there are simply fewer of the larger ones to roll out, and the smaller ones could be made by rolling out a big sheet of dough and using a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut small rounds.  I guess theoretically you could do that same thing with the 5-6" rounds for this recipe, but you would waste a fair amount of dough.  Whatever.  All I can tell you is that I would do it all over again in exactly the same way, which tells you how pleased I was with the results.  The empanadas are totally worth it, you just have to be in the right mood and know it's a two hour project.  (If you're not in the right mood, you could cheat and use refrigerated pie crusts, but the crispness of this dough makes it worth the effort.)

Three guesses as to which one I rolled out and filled first .  :-)  As I said, they freeze beautifully and can then be tossed in the oven frozen and allowed to bake until golden and hot for a really easy dinner.

Next week we're going to a new restaurant that specializes in Mexican seafood, and I noticed that they have empanadas on the menu with a filling of crab, chorizo, goat cheese and corn with a tomatillo verde sauce.  If they're as good as they sound, I'll try to re-create the recipe and post it.  I guess I couldn't have been too emotionally scarred from all that dough-rolling if I'm already contemplating the next batch.....

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Empanadas with Chicken, Corn and Zucchini

Makes ten medium empanadas

For the dough:

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½“ cubes

1 large egg

1/3 cup ice water

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

For the filling:

½ pound zucchini (2 medium), cut into ½“ cubes

1 cup corn kernels (from 1 medium ear) or 1 cup frozen kernels, thawed

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup shredded cooked chicken (or ¾ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained)

¾ cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese (or cheddar cheese)

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons canned diced green chiles, drained

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (or chile powder)

Sour cream for serving, optional

Salsa for serving, optional

For the egg wash:

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon water

To make the dough, combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some small butter lumps, 6-8 times.  Beat together the egg, water and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork and add it to the flour mixture, pulsing a few times just until incorporated.  Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with the heel of your hand once or twice to bring the dough together.  Shape into a disk or rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour.

To make the filling, first preheat the oven to 400d.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Dump the zucchini and corn on the parchment, then drizzle with the olive oil and a few grinds of salt and black pepper.  Toss everything together with clean hands and spread out into a single layer.  Roast for 20-25 minutes until the zucchini are softened and slightly browned around the edges.  Transfer to a bowl.

Add the chicken (or beans), cheese, green onions, cilantro, chiles, cumin, and paprika (or chile powder) to the bowl and toss.

In a small bowl, prepare the egg wash by mixing together the beaten egg and water.

To assemble the empanadas, divide the dough into 10 equal portions (about 52 grams each).  Shape each portion into a ball and roll into a 5-6” circle about 1/8” thick on a cool, lightly-floured surface.  Working one at a time, moisten the edge of half the circle with egg wash.  Place a ¼ cup (packed) filling in the center of the circle.  Fold the side with the egg wash over the top of the filling to create a half-moon shape and crimp the edges to seal.  Place the empanada on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush the top with egg wash, and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.  Slice a few small slits in the center of each empanada to help release steam while baking.

Bake at 400d for 22 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  If desired, turn on the broiler for a few seconds at the end until the empanadas are browned to your liking.  Serve with sour cream and salsa, optional.

To Freeze Empanadas:

Prepare the empanadas and freeze on a baking sheet or plate, then transfer to a zip-top bag or aluminum foil.  To bake, preheat the oven to 400d and bake on a parchment-lined pan for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and hot all the way through.  Do not thaw before baking.

Chicken Parmesan with Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce

 Last Year's Post:  Orange-Pecan Salmon with Three Pea Salad
Two Years Ago:    Perfect Lasagna

You can probably already tell this is not your typical chicken parmesan.   When I tell you that the recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine and has fewer calories, fat grams and sodium than regular chicken parm you may be tempted to quit reading because it can't be any good, right?......but that would be a big mistake.  Because you're right, this isn't your normal chicken parmesan, it's way better.

The chicken is tender and moist, with a crunchy coating of panko crumbs, parmesan and garlic.  The sauce is filled with the bright fresh sweetness of roasted tomatoes, shallot and more garlic.  The whole thing is topped with melted creamy mozzarella and fresh basil, served alongside hot spaghetti.  The flavors are much brighter and fresher than normal chicken parmesan, and the contrast of textures from crunchy to juicy to creamy is particularly appealing.

There are a couple of secrets to making it healthier.  The first is to use chicken cutlets rather than a whole chicken breast.  The chicken cutlets are smaller but still completely satisfying and filling.  It's easy to make your own cutlets by cutting a chicken breast in half horizontally.

The next secret is to use a light mayo and parmesan coating on the chicken prior to dredging in toasted panko crumbs and oven-roasting the chicken, which keeps the chicken moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside without the fat and calories of frying.

The final secret is the oven-roasted tomato sauce, which has fewer calories and sodium than marinara sauce and actually tastes much better.  You can make it any time of the year with regular cherry tomatoes from the grocery store - they taste fabulous after being oven-roasted to bring out their flavor and sweetness.

This recipe looked so pretty I just had to try it.  I was so impressed by the flavor that I kept telling The Lawyer "I just can't believe how good this is" the entire time we were eating.  I think you'll be impressed too.

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Chicken Parmesan with Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce

Serves 4

1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 shallot, sliced

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup panko bread crumbs

2 (8 oz) boneless skinless chicken breast halves

3 tablespoons light mayonnaise

1.5 oz Parmesan cheese, grated and divided (about 6 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Cooking spray

2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, very thinly sliced

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

Hot cooked spaghetti

Special equipment:  wire rack

Preheat oven to 375d.

Combine tomatoes and 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl; toss.  Arrange tomato mixture in a single layer on a large shallow broiler pan; bake at 375d for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove and set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 425d.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add shallot; cook five minutes.  Add garlic; cook one minute.  Add tomatoes, stock, wine, thyme, salt and pepper; cook 4 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.   Set aside.

Place panko crumbs in a large skillet; cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently.  Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to form 4 cutlets.  Combine mayonnaise and half of Parmesan in a small bowl.  Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly over both sides of cutlets.

Combine panko, garlic powder, and remaining half of Parmesan in a shallow bowl or plate, and dredge cutlets in the panko mixture.  Place cutlets on a wire rack coated with cooking spray.  Place rack on a baking sheet.  Bake at 425d for 15 minutes.

Top each cutlet with 2 tablespoons tomato mixture; top tomato mixture evenly with mozzarella cheese.  Broil 3 minutes (watching closely) until cheese is bubbly.  Sprinkle with basil and serve with remaining tomato mixture and hot cooked spaghetti.

Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Strata

Last Year's Post: Greek Phyllo Wraps with Tzatziki
Two Years Ago:  Roasted Tomato Tart with Goat Cheese and Black Olives

Will you have a group of people at your house for breakfast or brunch over the holidays?  Or maybe you're planning to host a New Year's Day brunch.  Either way, a strata is the perfect answer.  A strata consists of milk and eggs beaten together and poured over bread cubes, meat, vegetables and cheese, then baked into a savory casserole.  It's perfect for company because it makes a lot of servings and you can assemble it the night before so all you have to do the next morning is pop it in the oven while you set the table and assemble some fruit, coffee and juices.

This recipe as written will serve 6-8 people depending on how many other foods are on the table, and it can be easily doubled if you're having a big crowd.  It's equally good for a light dinner with a green salad, and leftovers reheat beautifully.

I found this recipe ages ago and make it regularly, varying the ingredients according to what's on hand or in season.  You can make it very healthy by using low-fat milk, wheat bread, and turkey sausage.  The spicy sausage is particularly good because everything else in the recipe is mild, but if you're serving a large group and some people really don't like spicy food, use mild sausage in the strata (or 50/50 spicy and mild) and then serve hot sauce on the side so people can spice it up to their taste.  Of course, you could always use pork sausage, you could vary the type of cheese and veggies to suit your taste, and you could use sourdough or Italian bread in place of wheat.  

If you can't find bulk sausage, buy Italian sausage in links (not breakfast sausages in those tiny links) and take the sausage out of the casings.  The sausage, onions and peppers are cooked and then layered over bread cubes.  The milk/egg custard is poured on top and the cheese goes on last.  Put the dish in the refrigerator overnight and then simply bake it the next morning.

What could be easier?  Serve the strata with with a pretty basket of scones or croissants, a big bowl of mixed fruit, a selection of juices and good coffee and you're set.

printable recipe

Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Strata

Serves 6-8

1 package (1 lb) bulk spicy turkey breakfast or Italian sausage

1 cup chopped onion

½ green bell pepper, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

6 slices wheat bread (4 cups cubed)

6 eggs

1 1/4 cups milk

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

Crumble the sausage into a non-stick 12” skillet and begin to cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  Add the onion and red and green peppers and continue to cook, stirring, until the sausage is fully cooked.  If the pan contains grease, pour the mixture into a colander and drain well.  Set aside.

Slice the bread into 1” cubes.  Coat a 2-inch deep 8” by 11” (or 9" by 9") casserole dish with non-stick spray on the bottom and sides.  Put the bread cubes in the dish.  Sprinkle the reserved sausage mixture evenly over the bread.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper until well combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the sausage and use a fork to press the sausage and bread into the milk mixture until all the bread is moist.  Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.  Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375d.  Bake, uncovered, for 55 to 60 minutes until light brown and puffy and the eggs have cooked through.  If the top begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil for the remainder of cooking time.  Let the dish stand for 10 minutes prior to cutting and serving.

Halibut Provencale

Last Year's Post:  Greek Shrimp and Orzo
Two Years Ago:   Double Chocolate Biscotti with Walnuts

I recently read a very interesting interview with Michael Pollan, a best-selling author who writes about food (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food).  I think of him sort of as a foodie anthropologist - he writes about our relationships with food and how they're evolved over time.  Anyway, he was interviewed as part of a PR tour for his most recent book "Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation".  The most interesting part of the interview for me was his concept of mindful cooking.  I had heard of mindful eating - the concept of paying attention to what you are eating and stop doing anything else at the same time - but not as it applies to cooking.

Here's a short excerpt from the interview:
I have always cooked, it’s not like I just learned how to cook, but I've always approached it with a great deal of impatience, and always kind of fought against it. Learning to be in the kitchen and not try to be multitasking, aside from conversation or listening to the radio, has been a great gift. I mean I approach it with a very different spirit. One of the most important life lessons of this book is “When chopping onions, just chop onions.” ..... Slow down and you’ll enjoy it more and you’ll squeeze more out of the experience. 
(Reprinted with permission. You can read the entire interview here.)

If you pay attention while you're prepping and cooking, you can learn some pretty interesting things about smell, taste, texture and the transformations that cooking can cause.  For example, this recipe includes fennel.  If you haven't worked with it much, it's an interesting lesson in how to cut it up, what it smells like (licorice), what it tastes like raw (crunchy, with a slight anise flavor), and what it tastes like cooked (mild and sweet).  Be sure to smell and taste as you go, and you'll find all kinds of new foods that you like.  This is a great approach to take with kids also. (Not to smell and taste kids before cooking them, but to include kids in the food smelling, tasting and prepping process.)

Anyway, this is a great light and healthy recipe for baked halibut from Provence that includes tomatoes, fennel, white wine, olives and plenty of herbs.  The mild, sweet fish is complemented beautifully by the Mediterranean flavors and stays very moist because it's covered in sauce while it bakes.  You could also use sea bass. tilapia, cod or any other mild white fish if you prefer.

Here's how to prepare the fennel - start by cutting off the long skinny stems and fronds and just use the bulb.

Cut the bulb in half and cut out the solid core by making diagonal cuts.

Slice and chop the fennel (be sure to smell and taste the raw fennel so you can compare it later to the taste and texture when cooked).

The fennel, onion and garlic are sauteed, then tomatoes are added and cooked briefly before adding the herbs.

Half the tomato mixture goes into the baking dish, then the halibut and the remaining sauce are added.  Isn't halibut pretty?

After baking, a breadcrumb/olive topping is added and browned briefly.

It's an easy, foolproof and very healthy dish.

printable recipe

Halibut Provencale

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 fennel bulb, cored and chopped

1 ½ cups chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt, divided

4 cups diced tomatoes with juice

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 (5-6 oz) halibut fillets

1 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons chopped pitted Kalamata olives

1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence or French herb blend

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450d.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds.  Add fennel, onion, and ½ teaspoon salt; sauté 8 minutes or until lightly browned.  Stir in diced tomatoes and juices; cook 2 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in fresh basil and parsley.

Spoon half of tomato mixture into a baking dish large enough to hold the fish fillets in a single layer.  Place fillets over tomato mixture.  Pour wine into dish; sprinkle fillets with ¼ teaspoon salt.  Spoon remaining tomato mixture over fillets.  Bake at 450d for 15 minutes.  While the fish bakes, combine the breadcrumbs, olives, herbes de Provence, 1 teaspoon oil, pepper, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl.  When 15 minutes have elapsed, remove the fish from oven; preheat broiler.

Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the fillets.  Broil 5 minutes or until lightly browned, watching closely so the topping doesn't burn.  Serve immediately.