Autumn=Casseroles

Autumn in Nashville, TN. The temperature is cooling off and the leaves are turning brilliant shades of red, yellow, and orange. Visual eye candy for those of us who love fall. When I think of autumn I start to think about warm comfort food. Considering I am from Texas, this specifically means a spicy bowl of chili and buttery cornbread. Of course, this also means chicken and dumplings, beef stew, and various casseroles. Autumn makes me want to get into the kitchen and create a bowl of warmth.

As I have gotten older and had a family of my own, I have tried to venture out and prepare dishes that add a health benefit. My favorite vegetable (and there are not many I admit!) is the zucchini. I love zucchini in ANY form or fashion. Thankfully, so does the rest of the family. Well, maybe not my 3 year old. One of my favorite dishes to make is a recipe from an old "Cooking Light" magazine. I have adapted it to fit my family's taste buds a bit, but it is listed below.





Ingredients
8 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 1/2 pounds)

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 cups cooked rice

1 cup fat-free sour cream

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded asaigo and romano cheese

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs (Gluten Free)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of fresh minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Cooking spray


Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain; partially mash with a potato masher. Combine zucchini mixture, rice, sour cream,cheese mix, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and eggs in a bowl; stir gently. Spoon zucchini mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Preheat broiler.

Broil 1 minute or until lightly browned.

Let me tell you-it is DELICIOUS! The casserole alone is enough for a hearty meal. But not for my husband who thinks there should be some sort of meat with every meal. So if you need to take care of the carnivores in your family (or yourself) the casserole is great paired with pork chops or baked chicken.

Enjoy.

Blogging Take Two

I'm baaaack! It has been a very long time since I last posted a blog and even then it was under a different name! I have decided that because so many of my family and friends are literally spread out over the world, it was time to communicate in a way that reached more people. Also, since my last blog almost a year ago, I have become addicted to reading blogs. Not blogs at random, but specifically those that address the disease I have-Celiac. I will dedicate a post soon to clear up exactly what is Celiac Disease. Suffice to stay-gluten is my enemy. Gluten is in many items you eat every day. Be thankful if you do not become violently ill after eating one slice of pizza, a piece of toast, a bite of cake, or even after drizzling soy sauce on your fried rice. Those of us with celiac DO get sick from those items and many more. We have to live our lives gluten free. But I digress-more on celiac and gluten soon!

My point, before I went off on a bunny trail (Rhonda H.!!!) was that blogs have become a fun and informational hobby of mine in the past few months since I decided to embrace the gluten free lifestyle. Of course, some friends and family also maintain blogs in which I really, really enjoy.

The purpose of this blog will be to share events in my personal life that deal with both gluten free living as well as regular ordinary events that might be of interest to family and friends. I will post pictures and gluten free recipes as well pictures of my family and life here in NashVegas.

Considering how busy I actually am-don't expect daily blogs. However, feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

It's good to be back!