Broccoli Casserole

I'm not hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, and I'm kind of disappointed to not be happily buzzing away in my kitchen come T-day. But I will be sharing a few inspired dishes. So come back tomorrow and look for coconut cream pies, a polenta recipe and a post-Thanksgiving left-over manifesto.

This broccoli casserole was today's big hit, and I love the idea of bringing to dinner, replacing that tired, old green bean casserole that is so traditional. The sauce came out perfect, without any grainy-ness and is actually less cheese than you think, with a few hidden ingredients that both jazz it up and cut down the calories at the same time.

Ingredients:
2 lbs of broccoli florets (about 7-8 cups) steamed until bright green, but still crispy
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
1/2 tsp prepared yellow mustard
1.5 cups flavor-free nondairy milk
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
pepper to taste
10 or so crushed vegetable crackers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saucepan, combine flour, cumin, broth and milk over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in cheeses, salt, pepper and mustard. Add broccoli, coating evenly.

Pour into casserole dish, top with a bit more parmesan and cheddar if desired, as well as the crushed crackers. Bake about 10-15 minutes, or until brown and bubbly. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

"You're So Cheesy" Potato Squash Bake

I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm not that great at planning meals. I'm really not. For every post you get here, there are 5 other meals that we had, slung from the hip and none too exciting. But generally, here is how I come up with my recipes: I take whatever vegetable I bought at the store, whatever was on sale or looked particularly appetizing (or here, my friend gave us a gallon bag of fresh yellow squash) and I begin to Google recipes that contain that ingredient. I go through about 10 recipes for inspiration and then get into the kitchen and whip up my own ideas.

I should have called this bake "the great disappearing act" because as soon as it was out of the oven, it was gone!

Ingredients:
2 yellow squash, cut into thin circles
1 onion, halved and cut into half moons
about 5 small yellow potatoes, thinly sliced
Italian seasoning
2 big handfuls of shredded cheese of your choice
salt and pepper to taste

Oil a pie pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then layer your potatoes around the bottom of the pie pan, overlapping. Then layer on the squash, followed by the onion and sprinkle with seasoning, salt and pepper, and one handful of cheese.

Repeat the layering one more time: Potatoes, squash, onion, seasoning, cheese.

Cook, covered for 30 minutes. Then remove cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Top with sliced green onion and serve with a nice big salad!